Fontaines D.C. – Romance
In June, Fontaines D.C. vocalist Grian Chatten filmed a video for the instagram account aview.fromabridge. In the clip, Chatten shares what’s on his mind, lamenting, “I read an article a couple of years back about us having reached the tipping point in terms of climate change, ever since then… every pleasantry feels like some bizarre fantasy that we all kind of like, are forced to buy into, in order to sort of survive and go about our daily lives. That’s romance to me, this illusion that’s necessary in order to carry on.” That point of view heavily influences and gives name to the band’s fourth album, Romance. While there’s a layer of cynicism and dread, there are also heavy doses of escapism, a turn away from the harsher reality.
Romance opens with its title track, a sort of orientation into the mood board the Irish post-punk group have curated, leaning into their eclectic musical tendencies, plunking out a childlike piano riff against harsh, bellowing bass. “Romance” acts as a warm up, building up the sense of dirge and dread and wonder, before launching into album standout “Starburster.” Influenced by a panic attack Chatten experienced in London, the track blends pulsating guitars with crystal clear drums that envelop Chatten’s vocals in a claustrophobic way. It may feel overstated to sing about unrelenting anxiety that boils into a panic attack, but Fontaines D.C.’s approach to it is considered and cathartic, churning out a work based in pain and angst, made all the more haunting by sharp inhales—making all the more palpable the struggle to even get enough air in those moments of panic. The writing feels confessional and unapologetic, as Chatten sings, “I want to live the arc, I call the ends on it / I wanna take the truth without a lens on it / My God given insanity, it depends on it.” His delivery brings to mind the climactic five minutes of “I Love You” from the band’s 2022 release, Skinty Fia, a similar monologue of inner breakdown and reflection.
Romance’s musical style feels like a culmination of what the band has been building toward, blending the brash and goofy lad-rock style of debut Dogrel with A Hero’s Death’s more subdued sounds, and the more pointed lyricism of Skinty Fia. While all of their albums have been eloquent in their own right, Romance shines in a new way as the band incorporates harsher riffs, like on “Desire,” and a shoegaze-influenced layer of instrumentals on “Sundowner.” It’s in these moments that the band—Chatten, joined by Carlos O’Connell (guitar), Conor Curley (guitar), Conor Deegan (bass), and Tom Coll (drums)—feel their most in sync, as if they have all melded themselves into the enveloping sound. There’s a jaded tone on “Desire” when Chatten sings, “They drown their wishes in the fountain like their fathers before,” against a gushing layer of instrumentals, leaning into the generational patterns that feel inescapable, an inevitable branch of the romance Chatten alluded to.
And while they perfect their moments of heavy, harsh rock rooted in melancholy, they also find serenity in nostalgia on closing track “Favourite.” The track evokes their beginnings, as Chatten sings, “And I’m always looking over my shoulder / and each new day, I get another year older.” The reality of his thoughts sink in, supported by shimmering harmonies and a guitar line that wells up homesickness for another time. Dreamy and subdued, it’s a welcome end to an album that isn’t afraid to dive into the severity of our modern world, finding the band stepping into the sun, even if just to spite the darkness.
Label: XL
Year: 2024
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Fontaines D.C. : Romance
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