Over the course of three albums, Irish quintet Fontaines D.C. has established themselves as one of the most consistently exciting modern bands, with every release marking their leaps and bounds in terms of songwriting but also in sound evolution. Their debut, 2019’s ‘Dogrel’, was a rollicking post-punk statement of intent that was a Rabelaisian hit to the system, while the release of ‘A Hero’s Death’ the following year saw them refine the skittering garage sound with brio. Then came 2022’s 'Skinty Fia', a stunning amalgamation of the band’s scruffy poetic stylings and lusher orchestral stylings.
No record has seen them resting on any laurels – nor jeopardizing their unique sound. But none have fully revealed Fontaines D.C. as fully chameleonic. Until this year’s sonic slide.
The band’s fourth outing, ‘Romance’, comes after frontman Grian Chatten dialed things down for his first solo album last year – the wonderful ‘Chaos For The Fly’, an intensely intimate and Cohen-esque collection of songs. In hindsight, last year’s album now seems like it was announcing a break, that the slate was about to be wiped clean and that Fontaines D.C.’s next album would be something of a reinvention.
We already got a taster of this new direction with the release of the first single ‘Starbuster’ earlier this year. From the track’s 'I Am The Walrus’-reminiscent orchestral opening, it was clear that the band were once again remaining true to themselves while pushing their sound forward in an evolve-or-perish sort of way. It’s anthemic, groovy, at times indebted to hip-hop, and significantly poppier than we’ve known them.
Once you’ve given ‘Romance’ a listen, it’s clear that this is the same band who gave us ‘Too Real’ and ‘Boys in the Better Land’, but it isn’t the same lot you heard for the first time five years ago. The thrilling grungy riffs are still there, but Fontaines D.C. dare to venture into synthy shoegaze, delicate balladry, and even chamber pop for album #4.
While this daring shift may worry fans of the early days, there’s really no reason to fret about an identity crisis. From the cinematic opener ‘Romance’ and its ominous orchestrations and declarations of love (“God knows I love you / Screws in my head / I will be beside you / 'Til you're dead”), the Pixies-like ‘Here’s The Thing’ to the stunning melodrama of the James Joyce-inspired ‘Horseness Is The Whatness’, the grungier sound of early Fontaines with ‘Death Kink’, and the Smiths-like closing track ‘Favourite’, this is an incredible listen from start to finish.
It’s their most musically ambitious album yet, a consistent yet daringly eclectic record that reveals a band unafraid to explore new horizons. Quite how their scattershot breadth here manages to feel perfectly unified is a mystery, but it’s plain to hear that not a single note is wasted on ‘Romance’, with Chatten & Co. finding the perfect sweet spot where powerful angst, jittery breathing and luscious melodies co-exist.
Alongside the aforementioned ‘Horseness Is The Whatness’, the song ‘In The Modern World’ stands out as a string-swept tune that evokes both Echo & The Bunnymen and Lana Del Rey. Again, go figure how that works... But it does, and like the album as a whole, it is a superb melding of melody, verve, and emotion.
And emotion there is, as the moody romanticism abounds. The theme of love and its messy permutations is well represented in the aptly titled ‘Romance’. Some the atmosphere on the record recalls the work of Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grande Bellezza in many ways – all with Chatten’s arresting lyrics which always express something universal in a truly unique and yes, Irish way. “Ah, it makes sense when you understand / The misery made me another marked man,” he sings towards the end of ‘Favourite’ - and something about his striking words tugs on the heartstrings in the most distinctive of ways.
To go into it further would be to spoil the surprise, and this review is already taking up too much of this writer’s time, when more listens await. Because make no mistake: even after a few spins, ‘Romance’ feels addictive.
The only hiccup is an aesthetic one: the cover art.
While the combination of the garish pinks, blues and greens works, the central image is an eyesore of the highest order. It’s an elongated heart-face morph that either looks like a last-minute Photoshop job from someone who forgot the album sleeve due date, or the someone trying to express their love for Francis Bacon and failing miserably. Either way, compared to their past covers (see above), this unholy marriage between Whipping Boy’s 'Heartworm' and a particularly bad shrooming comedown while watching The Lawnmower Man just doesn’t cut it.
Still, maybe that's the price to pay for a succesful change of direction, and ‘Romance’ remains the best album the band has put their name to - which says a lot considering their flawless discography so far. It is without a doubt one of 2024’s most impressive and expansive releases.
“And deep in the night, I confide / That maybe my goodness has died,” Chatten sings on the title track.
We know you don’t mean it that way, Grian, but from where we’re standing (and listening), the goodness is alive and well.
Fontaines D.C.'s 'Romance' is out now.
