"Starburster" is a song by Irish

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band Fontaines D.C. It was released on the 17 April 2024 as the lead single from the band's fourth studio album '' Romance''. The song was the band's first entry on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 57. It received critical acclaim and placed on several publications' year-end lists. It was listed as a top 10 song of the year by ''

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'', '' Consequence'', ''

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'', ''

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'' and ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

''. ''

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'' proclaimed it the Song of the Year. At the 67th Grammy Awards, the song received a nomination for Best Alternative Music Performance. The song is also featured as part of the official soundtrack for '' EA Sports FC 25'' and was used in the premiere trailer for ''Borderlands 4''. The song is also the main theme for the Paramount+ TV series MobLand.

Background

The song was written about a

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that frontman

Grian Chatten Grian Alexander Chatten (; born 19 July 1995) is an Irish musician, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of post-punk band Fontaines D.C. Early life Grian Chatten was born in Barrow-in-Furness, England on 19 July 1995 to an English mo ...

suffered at

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St Pancras station St Pancras railway station (), officially known since 2007 as London St Pancras International, is a major central London railway terminus on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden. It is the terminus for Eurostar services from Belgium, F ...

. Grian admitted that he wrote the song "as a joke", and when showing the track to the rest of the band, "they laughed. But I was serious." ''

'' described "Starburster" as a "pensive art-rock beast that fuses elements of

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

and

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

". ''Consequence'' labelled it "

trip-hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...

-infused" with "hip-hop-esque production" that frames Fontaines D.C. "as much more than just a gang of Irish rockers." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' believed it to be a "funky, disco-rock track". ''Clash'' wrote of its construction: "An elegant string loop precedes tasteful piano before being consumed by a bulky trip-hop beat." ''

'' said the song was "fused with a driving drumbeat keeping 4/4 time and layered with electric guitar, trickling piano, and a hauntingly romantic synth sound". The band debuted the song live on 7 May 2024 during their performance on ''

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''.

Reception

'' gave "Starburster" a five-star review, praising how it "captures that shock of trying to grasp reality amidst all the chaos." ''

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'' rated it four stars out of five, comparing it to

Shygirl Blane Muise (born 4 May 1993), better known by her stage name Shygirl, is an English singer, Disc jockey, DJ, rapper, songwriter and co-head/founder of record label and collective Nuxxe. Shygirl's music incorporates elements of dance music, hip ...

The Prodigy The Prodigy are an English electronic music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboardist, and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured Rapping, MC and vocalist Maxim (musician), Maxim, dancer and occasi ...

and

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

's song " Army of Me". ''Consequence'' bestowed the "Song of the Week" honour to the track for its "remarkably well-constructed composition, one that pushes the band into new, unexpected places." Naming it the "Song of the Year", ''

'' wrote that "Like Blur evoked for

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, Fontaines D.C. reflects the turbulence of everyday life in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Year-end lists

Music video

The official music video was released with the song, directed by Aube Perrie. It features Grian Chatten performing mundane daily activities while wounded. He accidentally kicks his football into an unattended garage of a grocery shop, which he proceeds to explore, and discovers that a door in the building takes him to various film studios. Donning masks, makeup, and costumes from the studios, Chatten uses the garage to appear in various music video shoots. At the end of the video, security closes and locks the door of the garage.

Little Mix Little Mix are an English girl group that formed on the eighth series of ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor.'' They are the first group and the only girl group to win the original UK series. The lineup consisted of Leigh-Anne Pin ...

member

Jade Thirlwall Jade Amelia Thirlwall (born 26 December 1992) is an English singer. Her music career began at the age of 15, when she auditioned for ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor UK'' on three occasions before rising to prominence as a member ...

made an uncredited cameo in the video as a red-haired woman in an angel-themed video shoot that Chatten visits. On 19 July 2024, three months after the release of "Starburster", Thirlwall released her debut solo single, " Angel of My Dreams", the video of which was also directed by Perrie at the same time as "Starburster". As such, the video for "Angel of My Dreams" features the same scene, with Chatten making a cameo as one of the angel dancers.

Commercial performance

"Starburster" debuted at No. 62 on the UK Singles Chart, the band's first entry. It peaked at No. 57.

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Fontaines D.C. 2024 singles 2024 songs Fontaines D.C. songs XL Recordings singles Songs about anxiety Music videos directed by Aube Perrie