Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten on hopes to publish poetry books and move into production

Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten has opened up about his hopes to broaden his horizons, and venture into the worlds of poetry and production.

• READ MORE: At home with Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten: “Our personality is bigger than the sound that we make”

The topic arose during a new interview with NME, as the band are gearing up to release their long-awaited new album ‘Romance’ later this week.

As well as talking about the inspirations within the LP, plans for their upcoming slot at Reading & Leeds 2024 this weekend, and inspiration taken from Lana Del Rey, the frontman was asked about his plans for the future – namely bucket list moments he has in mind.

Here, he revealed exclusively to NME that he has a keen interest in production, and envisions himself turning his sights to writing a book of poetry later down the line.

“There are places I’d like to go: South America, the Balkans, I’d love to play Bosnia and Serbia. I’m 28 now and would like to write and publish a book of poetry before I’m 30,” he explained. “I’m thinking about the 30 marker now. I need to learn how to fucking drive, man.”

He continued, going on to recall how he’d also like to expand his horizons into production going forward.

“I also want to do a soundtrack for something and I’m really getting into production,” Chatten told NME. “There are a lot of artists that I’d like to write with, not in a collaborative way but just to be part of the process and watch them do their work. I’d love to work with Sega Bodega and Shygirl, but I’m in no rush for those things.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Chatten spoke again about artists he’d like to collaborate with – namely Lana Del Rey, as the two will both be performing at this weekend’s R&L Festival.

It came as, in 2022, Chatten said in a Big Read interview with NME that Fontaines D.C. and Del Rey could “do a really good tune together”.

“Yeah, I’m going to muscle my way past security and pitch the living fuck out of our band to her!” he said when asked if he had any plans to make the collaboration come together. “No, I don’t really have any interest in pushing for anything in that kind of way. If it happens naturally, then it happens naturally. I’ve no expectations.”

He also went on to discuss the “neon and ridiculous” sound of ‘Romance’ as well as the band’s new fashion style for this era.

Ahead of their return to Reading & Leeds –  playing the twin-site festival’s main stage on Saturday August 24 at Reading, and Sunday August 25 at Leeds – Fontaines D.C. will play an intimate album launch show at the Electric Ballroom in London tomorrow (August 22).

They are due to embark on their 2024 UK and Ireland headline tour later this year, with the stint including two nights at Alexandra Palace in the capital. They will then return to London next summer for a huge outdoor show in Finsbury Park. You can find any remaining tickets here.

Earlier this week, the Irish band also further previewed ‘Romance’ with another new song called ‘In The Modern World’. It followed on from the singles ‘Starburster’, ‘Favourite’ and ‘Here’s The Thing’.

In a glowing five-star review of the James Ford-produced album, NME wrote: “‘Romance’ offers moments of wonder and gravity while also feeling occasionally foreboding.”

It continued: “Much of its power, therefore, comes from the way the discomfiting mood is offset by the lusciousness of the melodies. ‘Ah, it makes sense when you understand / The misery made me another marked man,’ Chatten sings towards the end of closer ‘Favourite’, a celebration of the past and all its learnings.

“These final, perfectly-chosen words will only take on a life of their own and reverberate onwards.”

The post Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten on hopes to publish poetry books and move into production appeared first on NME.