Fontaines D.C. – ‘Romance’ album review: dejected attempts to find beauty in the modern world
THE SKINNY: Half a decade has passed since Fontaines D.C. began carving out a place for themselves amid the modern post-punk resurgence. In the five years since then, they’ve experienced a much more interesting and impressive trajectory than any of their Dan Carey-produced peers, expanding their sound and success far beyond the walls of London’s Windmill hotbed with trip-hop influences and gloomy electronica.
On their latest offering, Romance, the band sound more and less like themselves than ever before. The guiding star of Dublin is clearly dwindling, lost to the disillusionment of Los Angeles and the unexpected influence of Lana Del Rey, but Grian Chatten’s lyrics remain as profound, as poignant and as poetic as on any of their previous records. He delves into new feelings of panic and pain, of desire and despondency, clamouring to find meaning and Romance amidst the unforgiving modern world. He now does this in a more plainspoken manner.
It’s an ethos reflected in the title, which turns something soft into something aggressive through capitalisation. Philosophical ruminations are peppered in between sharp intakes of breath – an inhaler literally used as an instrument at times – and there are glimpses at the band’s punkier roots, but Chatten’s delivery is much more drawn out and despondent than on Dogrel or A Hero’s Death. Contrary to the pop-punk outfits they now sport, the band’s youthful passion feels just as far away as Ireland.
Sonically, Fontaines flit between ambitious cinematic efforts, pulsing trip-hop soundscapes, and those more classic guitar tunes that they know so well. Some songs miss the mark instrumentally, falling too far into soft guitars or straightforward riffs, but they’re almost always saved by the lyrical talents of Chatten and the charm that Fontaines have harboured and honed over the years.
If a blistering show at Glastonbury and the three records that preceded it hadn’t already cemented Fontaines as the most exciting guitar band in the world, Romance certainly does. If you can’t find romance in a place or a person, maybe you can find it in this record, at a Fontaines show, or in the tender writings of Chatten, but for those aboard the bandwagon, the hype is powered up once more.
For fans of: Fontaines D.C. and their army of supporters.
A concluding comment from Elle’s boyfriend: “Romance is to punk music what André 3000’s flute album was to hip-hop.”
Romance track by track:
Release date: August 23rd | Producer: James Ford | Label: XL Recordings
‘Romance’: A reintroduction to Chatten’s tender lyricism and an invite to join the screws in his head. The word “cinematic” gets thrown around a lot without cause, but this is an opening track truly deserving of that descriptor. Between foreboding clangs and explosive moments, ‘Romance’ sets into motion the primary goal of the record: to find romance outside of Ireland. [4.5/5]
‘Starburster’: ‘Starburster’ contains some of the most interesting sonic choices on Romance, as Fontaines pull in trip-hop influences and exaggerated gasps to capture the intensity of a panic attack. “How I feel? How I feel? How I feel?” Chatten asks, “I wanna keel”. By the end of the song, he leaves listeners keeling over and breathless, too. [4.5/5]
‘Here’s The Thing’: ‘Here’s The Thing’ feels like one of the very few missteps in Fontaines’ Romance roll-out. It’s a fairly straightforward rock tune saved only by that inimitable Chatten charm. If it hadn’t been released as a single, it easily could have been lost amid the running order of Romance to the album’s more interesting efforts, and perhaps it should have been. [3/5]
‘Desire’: Fontaines may have a tendency to romanticise, but they rarely delve into feelings of desire. This changes on Romance, which devotes an entire song to the subject. ‘Desire’ contains some of Chatten’s grandest imagery yet, as he sings wrenching with desire, “Deep they’ve designed you, from cradle to pyre, in the mortal attire…” [4/5]
‘In The Modern World’: As Romance approaches its midpoint, ‘In The Modern World’ encapsulates the changing sound and spirit of Fontaines D.C. Chatten struggles to find meaning and feeling in a capitalist dystopia, and the band sounds more dejected than ever, far removed from the energised punk feel of their debut and the Ireland that inspired such fervour. [4/5]
‘Bug’: The shoegaze leanings of Skinty Fia bleed into the background of ‘Bug’, sitting just behind a melody that even Robert Smith would be proud of. It’s another fairly straightforward guitar tune, but often, that’s where Fontaines excel. [3.5/5]
‘Motorcycle Boy’: ‘Motorcycle Boy’ shows off Chatten’s continued ability to litter his lyricism with philosophical statements and to soften them with familiar guitars. “All the life I’ve shown ya, will own ye, in time,” he sings on one of the record’s most emotionally-charged tracks. His lyrics are simple, some lines are made up of merely two words, but they hit all the same. [4/5]
‘Sundowner’: Chatten is no longer choking on his dreams in ‘Sundowner’, he’s yearning. “In my dreams, I just wanna hear you call, I can’t help it, waiting for a while,” he sings, his delivery as hazy as his words. It’s gorgeously understated and subtle, one of the finest examples of Romance living up to its name. [4.5/5]
‘Horseness Is The Whatness’: Despite the cryptic name, ‘Horseness Is The Whatness’ is one of the most poignant displays of Chatten’s command over language, as he ruminates on meaning through wordplay and repetition. “Will someone find out what the word is that makes the world go round,” he begs, “‘cause I thought it was love.” It’s profound and personable all at once, the sign of a true songwriting great. [4.5/5]
‘Death Kink’: Chatten follows up the profundities of ‘Horseness Is The Whatness’ with an equally hard-hitting tale on ‘Death Kink’. “When you came into my life I was lost and you took that shine to me, at what cost,” he sings, charting a poisonous relationship with harsh language and menacing instrumentation. [4/5]
‘Favourite’: The romance of Romance comes to a head on ‘Favourite’, a jangly indie tune that is completely steeped in nostalgia. It charts Fontaines’ feelings towards a lost “favourite,” towards a once-familiar city turned strange, and a longing for days spent playing football indoors. [3.5/5]
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