Between A Hero’s Death and Skinty Fia, Irish band Fontaines D.C. had already cemented themselves as one of the best post-punk groups to come out in the past six or so years. But with Romance, their fourth full-length effort out via XL Recordings, they stake a claim for one of the best alt-rock albums released this year and in recent memory.

After the success of Skinty Fia, punctuated by a supporting slot on Arctic Monkeys’ last tour, Grian Chatten (vocals), Carlos O’Connell (guitar), Conor Curley (guitar), Conor Deegan (bass), and Tom Coll (drums) decided to enlist the help of seasoned producer James Ford of Arctic Monkeys, Gorillaz, and Blur fame for Romance. The team-up with Ford thrust the five-piece among towering bands appropriate for their meteoric rise. However, more than anything, Romance shows a band that takes any fear of fizzling away and encases it into compact nuclear energy waiting to be unleashed.

Having already wrapped up two festival appearances in the UK, Fontaines D.C. will embark on their US tour starting Sept. 20 in Seattle. The US leg, part of a global tour, will also include an LA date at the Hollywood Palladium on Sept. 26 and a San Diego date at SOMA on Sept. 27.

Production Fitting for a Film Soundtrack

Across the 11 songs on Romance, Fontaines D.C. maintains a level of stellar production not commonly heard from post-punk or even alt-rock bands. The title track, written by Chatten during a 10-day period in LA spent by himself, introduces listeners to the ménage à trois at the center of the album’s ups and downs. It’s nothing short of cinematic, complete with synths and a buzzing bass that serve as the seconds before the atomic bomb that is “Starburster” explodes.

“Starburster” is easily one of their strongest tracks to date, taking on a trip-hop fluidity that makes Chatten’s braggadocious talk all the more hard-hitting. Although employing their usual instruments, the newfound attitude comes off as something Massive Attack would have created if they had been time displaced to the rise of post-punk in the late 70s.

In contrast, “Sundowner” takes the residue from its explosive cousin “Starburster” and opts for an atmospheric track with a distinctly underwater texture. However, the band themselves never get lost in the stellar production. The lyrics expertly reflect the aimless emotions at the core, especially in lines like “Will sleep another off / And try to start again.”

Bleeding Hearts on Their Sleeves

Much like the tragic ménage à trois in the opener, Romance dives into what it means to desire and perfectly captures it upon its collapse. One of the album’s softer songs, “Motorcycle Boy,” finds the gentle guitar strumming and passionate vocals in a combination resembling Prefab Sprout’s heartbreak anthems. But the war-ready drums leave any hope for peace in question, carefully building up to what ends up being a red-herring for a much more quietly crushing climax centered around a piano.

For a genuinely vulnerable song, “Horseness Is The Whatness” is Fontaines D.C. at their most serene, where strings and scattering instruments in the background ricochet into one another as Chatten navigates his scattered emotions. And aptly titled “Desire,” the fourth track brings the album’s early momentum to a halt in favor of swirling instrumentation akin to complicated feelings at play in every lyric. The drum crashes after the chorus’ release in energy add to the overall cinematic quality, not to mention the brooding guitar and bass fitting for a 2000s emo track, repurposed into this arresting portrait of desire.

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An Improvement on All Fronts

After audiences became acquainted with Fontaines D.C. and their sound on Skinty Fia, Romance bravely pivots into sonic textures softer and harsher in terms of intensity. “Favourite” follows a straightforward song structure that you might hear on a Cage the Elephant single, proving the band could go into a more pop-friendly direction and do alt-rock better than anyone else. The melodies and lyrics may be the same, but what makes Fontaines D.C. stand out when they take on indie-rock is their sincerity, taking the assignment as seriously as their more experimental efforts.

Similarly, the momentary calmness right before the climax on “Starburster” teases at the previously melodic moments in the band’s career, notably on Skinty Fia songs like “I Love You.” That’s not to say the track is any less melodic than more ballad-driven songs, with Chatten’s instantly catchy breaths in the chorus and the string of lines “I’m the pig on the Chinese calendar / I got a shadow like a .58 Caliber / I wanna move like a new Salamander” exemplifying the band’s songwriting that’s equal parts inventive and show-stopping.

It’s easy to spend all day speaking highly of Fontaines D.C. Hell, it’s well-deserved, considering they continue to kick ass more than most bands working today, whether new or established. But it’s way easier to simply marvel at the work that goes into each song on every new album, and Romance is the kind of album that makes new listeners quickly fall in love.

“I killed it,” Chatten says as an invincible embodiment of braggadocio on “Death Kink.” For all intents and purposes, Fontaines D.C. killed it and beat it to a bloody pulp.

Words: David Sosa

Visit Fontaines D.C. on their website and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and their upcoming tour, which includes an LA show at the Hollywood Palladium on Sept. 26 and a San Diego show at SOMA on Sept. 27.

Fontaines D.C. 2024 US Tour:

Sep 20 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
Sep 21 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
Sep 22 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom (SOLD OUT)
Sep 24 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
Sep 26 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium
Sep 27 – San Diego, CA – SOMA
Sep 28 – Pomona, CA – Fox Theater
Sep 30 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
Oct 2 – Englewood, CO – Gothic Theatre (SOLD OUT)
Oct 4 – Lawrence, KS – The Granada
Oct 5 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown
Oct 6 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee
Oct 8 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore
Oct 9 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed
Oct 11 – Toronto, ON – Queen Elizabeth Theatre (SOLD OUT)
Oct 12 – Montreal, QC – MTELUS (SOLD OUT)
Oct 13 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner
Oct 15 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount (SOLD OUT)
Oct 16 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount (SOLD OUT)
Oct 18 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club (SOLD OUT)
Oct 19 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club (SOLD OUT)
Oct 20 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore