Track 15: Starburster - Fontaines D.C.

I'm the pig on the Chinese calendar...

Starbuster was written in response to a panic attack Fontaines D.C. lead singer Grian Chatten had while in St. Pancras station in London. I’ve been to that station and I get it, and while I’ve never experienced one at that specific station, I’ve had panic attacks before too. So it should be no surprise that this is my favorite song of the year. Yes, even more than, well, Favourite, another single off of FD.C.’s excellent fourth album Romance.

From the moment I heard it’s creeping meloton opening and 90s influenced fat drum beat, I knew I would love this song, and it only improved with multiple re-listens. I’m still not sick of it. There is so much to love, so much to marvel at how it all comes together and works the way it does: the rapid fire lyrics, alternating from confident to cruel to paranoid, the weird sharp inhale punctuating the chorus, the beautiful breakdown that sounds like early Blur providing Chatten with a much needed reprieve, or in the very least, a moment of clarity.

Knowing the context of the songs creation, you really get what’s going on. Whenever I’m in a train station these days, it reminds me of an intersection of desperate humanity shooting every which way, bombarded with data. We’re so accustomed to being overloaded with so much information these days. But should we be?

Starburster doesn’t have any answers to that question, but it is invigorating, unpredictable, fun, and the sound of a major band transitioning into a higher caliber of artistry.

Click here for the Infinite Mixtape on Spotify.
Click here for the Infinite Mixtape on Apple Music.