My train was late, so my dinner at the Athenian Room budged into the Fontaines D.C.’s opener at the Salt Shed, Been Stellar. For that reason I only caught a song and a half of the young New York band’s set. The final song was called “I Have the Answer,” and was quite good. It had a deep, drowning, electric sound. The lyrics were difficult to decipher live, but they tell a story of reflecting on young love. They cleverly play with certainty and time, as the repeated main statement reads “I have the answer,” but follows it up with “just for a little while.” Sam Slocum sings this line over and over with confidence. The narrator is certain he has the answer now, but that he will not in the future. The answer to the love that is depicted is not revealed, rather what is is the difficulty of love. The only thing that is certain is that the answer now is not the answer in the future. I think that seemingly simple chorus is pretty great.
Been Stellar has begun to grow beyond New York, and their tour with Fontaines D.C. will surely get their name out there even more. I wish I saw more of the set, but luckily they are coming back to Chicago soon. They play Lincoln Hall on January 17, 2025.