Hey guys, welcome back to Musical McCool, my weekly series dissecting the Irish charts!
This was a much busier week than expected. Unlike most people, who ONLY had to deal with Sabrina Carpenter's Short n' Sweet album bomb, we also had Romance by Fontaines DC AND the premiere of the Kneecap movie driving some of their songs into the Hot 100. All of which is really exciting, even if I think a lot of the best songs from the latter 2 groups have already been covered.
The Top 10
That being said, Short n' Sweet wasn't quite the bomb I was expecting, though not a small one by any means:
1. Taste - Sabrina Carpenter [LW: - / WOC: 1]
2. Please Please Please - Sabrina Carpenter [LW: #4 / WOC: 12]
3. Good Luck, Babe! - Chappell Roan [LW: #1 / WOC: 21]
4. Birds of a Feather - Billie Eilish [LW: #2 / WOC: 15]
5. Guess - Charli XCX (Ft. Billie Eilish) [LW: #4 / WOC: 4]
6. Die With A Smile - Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars [LW: #13 / WOC: 2]
7. Austin - Dasha [LW: #6 / WOC: 28]
8. Kisses - BL3SS & CamrinWatsin (Ft. bbyclose) [LW: #8 / WOC: 18]
9. Bed Chem - Sabrina Carpenter [LW: - / WOC: 1]
10. Hot To Go! - Chappell Roan [LW: #10 / WOC: 18]
So our number 1 unsurprisingly goes to the new Sabrina single Taste, which is doing great numbers at the moment, especially with a music video featuring Jenna Ortega. More on the song itself a bit later, but along with Please Please Please returning to number 2, and Bed Chem at number 9, it's not as all encompassing of a debut as she had in the US or the UK, but still damn impressive considering how muted the reception to her last album release was by comparison.
Sabrina wasn't the only big winner in our Top 10 though, as - as I predicted - Die With a Smile by lady Gaga & Bruno Mars surged up to number 6 this week. Well deserved, it's a terrific song to have as we head into Autumn.
The Punished and the New
Now as to why this week was SO impactful... yes, you had some big new entries, but we also saw some HUGE losses this week, including a few ACR victims:
Honestly, these songs leave me feeling about the same. Very plain, fine songs in a year that's generally been a lot more interesting, I'm surprised they stuck around as long as they did.
Not that those were our only losers: after a brief concert-related boost, Dial Drunk by Noah Kahan immediately fell back down to 40 and You Shook Me All Night Long and Thunderstruck by AC/DC fell to 72 and 73, as expected. What I didn't expect was Big Dawgs by Hanumankind and Kalmi immediately dropping back down to 44, I honestly thought that one had more legs! Then 28 by Zach Bryan sadly fell to 51, misses by Dominic Fike dropped hard to 53, Guy For That by Post Malone & Luke Combs remains a non-starter as it falls to 61, Not like Us by Kendrick Lamar sadly hits a new low at 71, and Hozier's Nobody's Soldier was never given a real chance as it plummets to 74.
Not that this was a bad week for Irish music though, FAR from it. More on that with the new entries, but first let's talk about our winners, of which there were quite a few. The biggest news for many this week was legendary band Oasis getting back together, and announcing tour dates that are already impossible to book for next year in Ireland! Because of this, Don't Look Back In Anger, Wonderwall and Live Forever all vaulted back into the Irish Top 20, at 14, 15 and 17 respectively! Which is bad news for Coldplay, who played a huge concert here last Thursday but ONLY landed Sky Full Of Stars at 18, The Scientist at 20, the new single feelslikeimfallinginlove at 27, and Something Just like This with The Chainsmokers at 33... okay, maybe "only" was exaggerating, they're fine! Otherwise, we had Diet Pepsi by Addison Rae rising up to 58 - a song I am being knowingly petty towards because I prefer Leanna Firestone's Diet Coke, I'm only human - and Over Galway Town by Jamie McIntyre & Jack Reilly shot up to 65... but NONE of that compares to the impact of Kneecap, as H.O.O.D. and Get Your Brits Out officially debuted at 78 and 100! I've covered both these songs in past editions of Musical McCool, but I am THRILLED to see them on the official charts thanks to the new Kneecap movie, that's hilarious!
And now, our new arrivals, almost all of which are accompanied by other songs by the same artist! So let us begin with Sabrina Carpenter, and more specifically our new number 1:
Title: Taste by Sabrina Carpenter
Position: #1
So overall, I'm kind of tepid to lukewarm on Short n' Sweet. Sure you could make the argument that it's her best and catchiest album yet, with a VERY high budget (which doesn't always show consistently) and some pretty strong hooks, but while there's no song close to as bad as Skin on this album, there's no Feather here either.
That being said, as someone who hadn't been impressed by any of the singles thus far, I think Taste is an easy album highlight. I don't think it's fantastic or anything, and amid the general pop landscape of 2024, this is probably just decent at best, but it doesn't annoy me the same way that espresso does and the tone is more consistent than Please Please Please. And with writing credits from Julia Fucking Michaels, that's pretty impressive, it could have been MUCH worse!
Yes, it's a cheating song, where she's essentially rubbing in your face that now that you're back together with your boyfriend, she's had her fun, so you're welcome to him. Just know that you're gonna be tasting her on his lips, and that his new attitude, clothes, and sense of humour, that's all her influence. I'd be lying if the part of me that remembers how vindictive she seemed towards Olivia Rodrigo about Joshua Basset didn't find this VERY much in character for her, but this is a lot more fun and coquettish, with a slightly maniacal tone that I think plays to her strengths quite well. And together with dumb lines that open it up, Sabrina clearly not taking herself seriously, really solid production, and a nice hook, this is pretty enjoyable.
Title: Bed Chem by Sabrina Carpenter
Position: #9
On the other hand, when she's doing her Ariana Grande impression, that can have VERY mixed results, which is all I hear on Bad Chem, where she's fawning over this guy she has very little in common with, but thinks they might have good chemisty in bed, or "bed chem", which is one of the more horrendous pieces of writing I've heard all the year.
I know that there are going to be some people out there who defend it and call it clever, but even if I bought that, the production is a lot less interesting, this low-key 80s alt pop production that's very that'll certainly play to the easy listening crowd, and a falsetto on the back half of the hook that I just don't think flatters her, AT ALL! Once again, when you're trying to imitate a vocalist like Ariana, you need to know your limits, and Sabrina sounds SO strained here. Which is unfortunate, because she does a fairly solid Ari impression when she sticks in that vocal range, probably my favourite part of Nonsense.
But as is... yeah, this is just less interesting to me, not her worst, but certainly not her best, and probably on the lower half of the album as a whole.
Title: In The Modern World by Fontaines D.C.
Position: #34
So as of writing this, I have heard Romance, the album, but I haven't really had time to sit with it, since the new Marianas Trench album has kind of been dominating most of my waking moments. That being said, even after just a couple of listens, this song has grown on me remarkably quickly.
It's a tune inspired by a drug trip that Brian and his bandmate Connor took together with an Irish traveller/singer called Charlene. After taking drugs together, they found they felt calmer than they had in a long time, fully released from all the pressures of the modern world. And I actually think the lyrics are quite interesting. For one, they're very impressionistic, with a lot of repetition, a sound and scope that seems to yawn across the mix, very much sounding like a Lana Del Rey song. And most strikingly of all, I find the lyrics a lot less conclusive than I expected. This song could so easily be another lament on how technology and modern society is such a burden and how he can't wait to get away from it all, but instead, he seems to discover that he misses the city, the worry, all of it. Because while this modern world is faaaar from perfect, he knows that escapism, feeling nothing, is not the answer. He's rather feel bad, suffer, and experience the entire mess of emotions alongside the rest of us.
Maybe I misinterpreting, but that's just what I get from the lyrics. Either way, the song is beautiful, and while no, I don't think it's as good a Starburster, it is one of those songs that I think I'm going to keep coming back to until the end of the year, even outside of the album.
Title: Bug by Fontaines D.C.
Position: #42
Whereas, on the other hand, I've always loved this song, an easy early favourite on the project. What I love so much about Fontaine's and their writing is that it very often doesn't paint them in the best light, necessarily. They're very careful, even on their most political songs, to make it clear they are NOT saviours, they are part of a broken system, and they don't always know how to fix it. And so, of course, why would their personal relationships be any different?
On this song, Grian Chatten seems to be talking to a lover (I'm assuming is former), where he brags about all the positive ways in which he's changed for her, this person he's promised himself to in ways that he never thought he could. But there's also a sense of entitlement that comes with that, a feeling that he's now owed the perfect relationship in return for his efforts. And to be fair, it seems to be entirely self-afflicted, the way that he calls her a make-up artist at Carnegie Hall drips with an awe that is certainly envious, showing he's very much intimidated by how perfect his partner is, at least atop the pedestal he's placed her on. It's a very interesting song to have in the middle of an album called "romance", highlighting the fact that just because somebody can change, it doesn't mean it'll only be for the right reasons.
Plus the song just sounds fantastic, with the drums and the guitars and the echoing space in the mix that almost reminds me of a Tears For Fears song, it's just wonderful. The only other song in their catalog I can probably compare it to is Roman Holiday from their last album Skinty Fia, and that's a big fucking compliment! Great song, I don't know if it's gonna stick around, but I really hope it does!
Title: Here's The Thing by Fontaines D.C.
Position: #43
And for our last Fontaine's DC song of the week, we have the track that comes right after Starbuster on the album, as well as the final single before its release. And it's the first indication that whatever this relationship is, there's clearly more to it than simple romance... or it could be about a completely different girl, again, I haven't had the time to sit with this album that much yet.
Either way, this song starts out with these frenetic, dirty-ass guitars and a LOT more bass, this time with pitched-up vocals that drive home the desperation in Grian's higher vocal performance. And I will say, of all the Fontaines songs that we've covered today, this may be my least favourite, but only by default, it's still a very solid track. I think my main issue is that I haven't fully interpreted it just yet. It seems to be a song where he's confronting this girl to speak his own unspoken truth, all while trying to reassure her that he's not dismissing her opinion, he knows she's right... buuuuut... "here's the thing".
That line is right up there with "we need to talk", as he tries to set himself up for an argument that he's almost definitely going to lose. It's compelling, it sounds great, the chorus is undeniably catchy, and the instrumentation is phenomenal... I'm simply curious how it will age over the course of the rest of the year and in the wider context of the album. But as of right now, this is still really fucking solid. Man, we're doing well so far! But even though I said this was our last Fontaines song... as for their frontman:
Title: Better Way To Live by Kneecap (Ft. Grian Chatten)
Position: #92
So unsurprisingly, I heard of this song ages ago, back when it first dropped, and while I haven't reviewed it yet (as far as I can remember), I had good reason to be excited. It's Grian Chatten, the lead singer of Fontaines DC, teaming up with Kneecap, the anti-establishment Belfast group who've been on a TEAR all year, teaming up for a song that is... actually surprisingly kind of tame.
The slower pulsing build feels like a good compromise between their 2 sounds, as Grian sounds more sardonic than he does desperate, closer to his more political material like Jackie down the Line, with the lyrics to match it, as the chorus seems to revolve around alcohol dependency in order to just feel normal in a world that always feels overwhelming, where the closest that he's come to feeling peace is either when he's drunk or wallowing in childhood nostalgia. Meanwhile Kneecap bring each verses in both Irish and English, describing themselves as down-on-their-luck deadbeats who are just trying to scrape by on the dole, spending what little money they do have on liquor, because Lord knows life isn't designed to pick them back up... but at least they can numb the pain, right?
All with this, with the ongoing motif of there being rumblings and voices just beneath the surface that they're desperately trying to block out, perhaps the thoughts of rebellion against this broken system, or simply the demons in their ears telling them that life is cursed and that no amount of substance abuse is actually going to fix that, but either way, it's effective and matched by the production. Now, while the bassline is really fucking cool and stalking, the slower tempo does mean that the song doesn't have the firepower that it could have had, I would have loved if it ended on a more explosive note considering the 2 groups.
But ultimately, the point of this wasn't fan service, it was to execute a concept together in a way that flatters both groups, with a defter touch. Hell, if you've heard the new Kneecap album, Fine Art, their sound and message HAS evolved over the years, to be at least slightly more tempered in their no-less-relevant message, knowing that's probably what's going to drive real relatability and change in the long run. And considering it took Get Your Brits Out 4 fucking years to even scrape the mainstream Irish charts, they're probably right about that approach.
Title: Middle of Love by Picture This & Dean Lewis
Position: #97
And last but hopefully not least, we have a collab between Picture This and Australian singer Dean Lewis, of Waves fame... random.
And I'll be honest, I was kinda prepared to call this a bit too generic and overwrought, the kind of piano ballad that is dime a dozen... but to my surprise, the lyrics are kind of interesting. It's a story of 2 guys, both of whom are in love with this girl, and one of whom is in a relationship with her. So why is she always texting this other guy? Or thinking about him when they're lying in bed together? Leaving her partner "in the middle of love", caught between 2 people who are right for each other in so many ways, as he can feel her slipping away.
It's a surprisingly heavy and nuanced topic, where I appreciate that most of it is just routed in his own insecurities. There's no blame thrown either, which could have easily got very nasty and made the protagonist quite unlikeable, but it doesn't, which makes you feel for all the parties involved! I do wish the production and base composition were more interesting, and maybe a bit of additional conflict towards the end might have added some spice, but as is, a surprisingly nuanced song, nice job.
Now for that reason, Worst of the week is tougher to pick than I was imagining! And ultimately, I'm afraid it has to go to Sabrina Carpenter for Bed Chem. I'm sorry, i don't hate the song, but I really didn't like the pitchy hook and the production is pretty boring. Best could go to a number of candidates, but personally Bug by Fontaines D.C. is running away with it, albeit not as easily as I initially thought.
National Treasures
And now it's time for our new entries to the Homegrown Top 20. And considering how Irish-forward the mainstream charts are at the moment... gotta say, kinda disappointed in these:
Title: Life Gets Hard by CamrinWatsin
Position: #15
CamrinWatsin's big hit Kisses is just a lot more radio-ready, with its D&B elements, the pitched vocals and the synths that remind me of 2014-DJ Mustard meets DNA by Billy Gillies. And I'll say this: he certainly isn't letting himself be boxed in.
The production here remind me of a late-2010s SoundCloud rapper, with the mournful sample and the low-key but danceable vibe reminding me of a sadder Shane Codd. It does successfully evoke that vibe of growing up and realising life does get hard... I just wish it did more, either in the evolution of the melody or even the sample.
Not surprised this isn't as big as Kisses, but it's not bad.
Title: If You Ever Leave Me/Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Niall Horan
Position: #17
Yes, we truly will take ANYTHING by Niall Horan here, even a live performance of one of his least listenable songs from that last album and a pretty great cover of Tears For Fears!
And look, the live version of If You Ever Leave Me is somewhat saved by Niall's sheer charisma, but MAN does that chorus still sting! But again, the cover of Everybody Wants to Rule The World is pretty damn solid... I just wish there was more of it here.
Title: Something Real by Belters Only
Position: #20
... So you're saying that Belters Only finally fading into obscurity and NOT charting is when they finally develop some integrity and make a good song again! TYPICAL!
So yeah, this is pretty damn good. Not amazing, but the percussion and piano are great, the hushed, panicky vocals are fantastic, the droning bridge is haunting, and the synths are incredibly well-placed, both atmospherically and for the dance drop!
As of writing this, I don't know if they stole this song too, but for what it is... shit, it's actually really good in my opinion! Please don't let this chart though, I'm petty and don't want to say anything nice about this duo in a video anytime soon!
And that's our week! If you've heard any of the albums or songs discussed today, let me know in the Comments, along with what you thought of all the songs covered this week. Don't forget to leave a Like if you enjoyed, and please make sure to follow me everywhere so you don't miss a thing, Subscribe to the blog to keep up with my weekly chart reflections, etc. I hope life's treating you well, and until the next time, I'm Fionn and this is The Social Tune signing off!
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