It is officially Fontaines D.C. season again, my favourite time of the year. Their music has always felt inherently tied to autumnal rainy days. A walk through the Meadows on release day (12 October) set the perfect scene for a first listen of ‘Where is Gone?’ The track’s reference to a “rainy day in my head” lands with a heavy, relatable mental dreariness, one that sharply contrasts with the sunnier reality of the time the songwriting pair spent together.
The song’s thesis centres around moving toward closure and leaving the past behind. It is nearly impossible not to map its melancholic acceptance onto one’s own life and losses. For that resonance alone, ‘Where Is Gone?’ earns an easy five stars. Though, in truth, it is difficult to rate Fontaines D.C. any lower right now.
There is a brilliant lyrical nod to chiaroscuro, the interplay of light and shadow, in the line “the darkest room on the brightest day.” It perfectly captures the times where our negative perspective can obscure the brighter moments in life. As the track drew to its close, the ending struck me with its relatability; leaving behind a lingering, meaningful reminder that pain and loss are an inextricable part of being alive. Much like the fading message of the song itself, I would like you to be left with this message: pain is a sign of life.
“Chatten performing with Fontaines D.C. in 2019” by Paul Hudson is licensed under “CC BY 2.0“
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