Romance (2024) - Fontaines D.C.

'Romance' is the fourth studio album from the Irish outfit and marks their first big swing for the fences. Previously they had made their name with moody angst-ridden post-punk anthems but, while some of that is still present here, this album branches out into grander landscapes and is all the better for it. 

Supporting Arctic Monkeys on a vast US Tour has apparently widened the band's scope. Singer Grian Chatten is quoted as saying "I didn't want to write, like, a 'Champagne Supernova', but I did want to do something that felt like it was deep within and far without." This is clear pretty much from the opening notes of the album. Immediately you feel the sense of something fresh and different with opening track 'Romance'. Ominous Nirvana-esque guitars give way to even more ominous chimes and gigantic horn blasts. "Into the darkness again..." Chatten purrs, like some sort of neon Willy Wonka pulling you into the weird and wonderful journey you're about to be sent on. As openers go, it's a strong start. 

Lead single "Starburster" is up next and gets right into Fontaines D.C.'s sweet-spot, with half-rapped, half-sung lyrics that sound mildly threatening in a thick Irish brogue, all backed up by a monster beat. The imagery of the video, featuring a neon green balaclava only strengthtens it's menace. It is a great single, picking up the mantle from 2004-era Kasabian and running with it. 

'Here's The Thing' also sounds like mid-2000s Indie off-cut and is a catchy, if probably not altogether memorable, little number. Compared to everything else on the album, it doesn't stand as tall. For example the next track 'Desire' gets back to sounding like a big, arms aloft festival anthem, as does 'In The Modern World'. You can almost hear the kids yelling "in the modern world, I don't feel anything" in a muddy field somewhere. 'Bug' is an uptempo number with a similar chord progression to The Smiths classic 'There Is a Light That Never Goes Out' and feels like a razor-sharp summer anthem. This middle section of the album, in general, really shows how far the band have come and you start to see that their attempts at reaching a wider audience are paying dividends without sacrificing what made them great in the first place. 

'Sundowner' sounds like a modern day Stone Roses record, which isn't a bad thing. Then we are treated to album highlight 'Horseness is the Whatness', a beautiful aching song about love, loss and the general confusion surround the pursuit of both. The strings swell, swirl and snake their way around the vocals and make for a truly compelling three minutes which show this band is not only for real, but capable of packing a surprising emotional punch. The album finishes strong with certified head-nodder 'Death Kink' - a big, triumphant rock record with it's chorus of "Shit. Shit. Shit. Banter", which goes down a treat, and then the closer 'Favourite' - a lovely romantic indie number owing much to pulsing melodies of The Cure. 

What you may notice here is that there are many influences quite openly on display. While in some cases this might feel lazy and the path of least resistance in terms of making a large impact, here it all goes into the melting pot and we end up with an album that is greater than the sum of its parts. If you randomly picked out a song on this album, you might not necessarily be blown away. However, when listened to in full, this album packs an unexpected punch. Rather than relying on tricks and gimmicks, this is a collection of brilliant pop records covering much over a very short amount of time (only two of the songs clock in at over four minutes). It rewards repeated listens and ranks as the best album Fontaines D.C. have put out so far. It will no doubt satisfy their core fan base and attract many new devotees to the altar too. Also, you can buy the neon tracksuit / balaclava combo from 'Starburster' on their website too, so I'll be wearing that and speaking Irish for the forseeable. Sláinte! 🍺

★★★☆☆

JB.