Four albums in five years is a tough feat for any band. Arctic Monkeys went from Yorkshire monologues all the way to leather jackets in the Californian desert between 2006 - 2011 and most fans consider that their golden run. Punk pals IDLES tried to do one further and did four in four years, however we all know how the third one went. Can Fontaines D.C. pull it off?
I was first due to see Fontaines D.C. in the summer of 2019 at Truck Festival, however they pulled out due to fatigue from touring. At the time, it was crushing. My friends and I were obsessed with Dogrel and couldn’t wait to see them for the first time. This was the first time I’d ever known an artist be so open about their personal struggles with their day to day lives and its that sentiment that puts Fontaines D.C. above the rest. 2020’s ‘A Hero’s Death’ explores the vulnerabilities of being away from home, 2022’s ‘Skinty Fia’ flies the tricolour flag with vigurous passion. Romance however, isn’t about Ireland, England or planet Earth. It’s a whole other world. “Maybe Romance is a place?”
Shoegaze, hip-hop, triphop, jangle rock and grunge all combine on this album to show Fontaines D.C. spreading their wings and flying to the moon. Starburster erupted in the musical world and deserves it’s merits, I sincerely think if they had the investment money for PR, it would be a UK number one single. The angst is reminiscent of Stormzy or Skepta with the energy of Chase and Status pummelling behind it. Favourite, the palette cleansing finale and most “indie” track on the album brings us back down to earth for a nice and peaceful ending. For an album full of anxiety and risk, putting Favourite as the closer does a feel a bit surprising, and I’m still not sure if it works.
After a stint of touring with Arctic Monkeys, it makes sense that James Ford is on production this time. It’s a welcome change and something that definitely makes these songs not only sound, but feel different to 2022’s ‘Skinty Fia’. Reminiscent of Alex and co’s ‘The Car’, the album experiments with large orchestral sections and intimate moments on In the Modern World and heavy bass similar to Monkeys' ‘Sculptures of Anything Goes’ on the title track. Album highlight Sundowner sees Curley take on lead vocals in a kaleidoscopic shoegaze vacuum of a song. It’s delicate and pretty yet vast and expansive, and would fit perfectly on a Trainspotting soundtrack. ‘Here’s The Thing’ and ‘Death Kink’ sound like they could have been on Smashing Pumpkins’ ‘Adore’ album: Filthy guitar rock with pop vocals in the bloodstream and it is absolutely fantastic.
The dystopian aesthetic of Romance shocked Fontaines’ fans as soon as the first press shots, clips and artwork dropped. It's a tale as old as time, switch up the look and the sound will follow. If it fails, you can never really reverse it but this time it has definitely worked. The BRAT summer movement has proven that when a popular artist challenges their fans with visuals, it makes the music 10 times more interesting. As far as fourth albums go, this is their Kid A moment and shows Fontaines D.C. have a lot more to offer than what we have already heard.
'ROMANCE'
TO BE RELEASED ON 23 AUGUST 2024
