Last year saw the release of Fontaines D.C’s frontman Grian Chatten’s debut solo album and from this comes the swooshy charm that is Bob’s Casino. Appearing on Chaos For The Fly, the song was inspired by the old school amusement park in ferries, Dublin. Cleverly, the dreamy melody sways about in a nostalgic haze, conjuring images of happy days, but amidst this dreaminess swirls a tragic undertone….
To accompany the song Ella Schlesinger directed the surreal video (see below) and explains how:
“In the near reality, surreal world of ‘Bob’s Casino’’s music video, we watch the hopelessly romantic quest of a man trying to find his love whilst being pursued by a BMW car, echoing the fable-like, romantic gesture I feel this song embodies. This video intends to feel playful with a strong feeling of longing as he is both being chased and chasing something. The man’s 3-metre-long arms and bulbous head hope to expand this idea of a dejected man whose appearance mirrors his limitations in getting to his love.
As the video unfolds, we watch the man gain momentum as he tries to escape the car, running faster and ripping off his large extended arms as he goes. As we get to the end of the video, we see the man has made it to daylight and has both lost the car and got to the land’s edge – the sea – his love.”
Bob’s Casino showcases Grian’s enigmatic lyricism with swirling backing vocals courtesy of Grian’s fiancée, Georgie Jesson. Though the melody is upbeat in places, something darker bubbles under the surface and as the video closes, all we see is a cliff edge and a bird flying free in the skies above..
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