When Fontaines D.C. burst onto the scene with their 2019 debut Dogrel, they were brash, bold, and just a little bit rough around the edges—like a Dublin street poet shouting truths at anyone within earshot. Fast forward five years, and the band has traded in their Tesco lager cans for something a bit more refined but no less intoxicating. Their latest album, Romance, showcases a band that’s grown up but not necessarily grown out of their angst. Instead, they’ve dressed it up in strings, synths, and the occasional flirtation with nu-metal, all while keeping one foot firmly planted in the post-punk grave they’ve been digging since day one.
Fontaines D.C. have always been a band that wears its influences like a badge of honour, but Romance sees them blending those influences with a newfound maturity. If Dogrel was a love letter to Dublin, full of snarling guitars and spitfire lyrics, then Romance is the band’s attempt at writing the great, sprawling, existential novel—think James Joyce with a distortion pedal.
The album kicks off with its title track, “Romance,” a brooding opener that immediately sets the tone. Grian Chatten’s voice, always teetering on the edge of a breakdown, croons about love and fear with a palpable weariness. The track’s synthy undertones and sparse guitar work evoke The Cure’s Faith-era gloom, but there’s something distinctly modern about it as if the band is acknowledging their influences while also moving beyond them. The refrain “Into the darkness again” feels like both a declaration and a resignation, an acknowledgment that, for all the romance in the world, the shadows are never far behind.
One of the album’s strengths lies in its ability to balance light and dark, often within the same song. Take “Starburster,” the album’s lead single, which starts with a panicked, almost rapped verse before exploding into a chorus that’s as euphoric as it is unsettling. Chatten has described the song as being inspired by a panic attack, and that sense of claustrophobic energy is palpable throughout. It’s the kind of track that feels like it could veer off the rails at any moment, but somehow, it never does—much like the band itself.
Fontaines D.C. have always been a band that thrives on tension. But where previous albums, particularly 2022’s Skinty Fia, sometimes felt bogged down by their own seriousness, Romance allows for moments of levity. “Here’s The Thing,” for instance, feels almost playful, with its octave-leaping melody and lyrics that, while still steeped in existential dread, manage to convey a sense of wry humour. “I feel your pain / It’s mine as well,” Chatten sings as if sharing a joke with the listener about the absurdity of it all.
The album’s midpoint, marked by tracks like “In The Modern World” and “Desire,” plunges back into darker territory. The former is perhaps the album’s standout track, a swirling, string-laden ballad that feels both expansive and intimate. There’s a sense of resignation in Chatten’s delivery—“I don’t feel anything, in the modern world,” he laments. Still, a glimmer of hope is also buried beneath the layers of melancholy. It’s a track that’s as emotionally complex as it is sonically rich, and it’s here that Fontaines D.C. prove they’re more than just a band with a good ear for a catchy riff—they’re songwriters in the truest sense of the word.
The latter half of Romance sees the band exploring new sonic territory while staying true to their roots. “Motorcycle Boy,” with its jangly guitars and subtle political commentary, feels like a nod to the band’s earlier work, but there’s a newfound introspection that adds depth to the track. Similarly, “Sundowner” and “Horseness Is The Whatness” showcase the band’s ability to blend genres, with the former’s Tame Impala-esque vocals and the latter’s violin-driven melancholy standing out as highlights.
The album closes with “Favourite,” a track that feels like the perfect antidote to the darkness that precedes it. It’s a simple, jangly indie tune that wouldn’t sound out of place on a John Peel session, and it’s here that Fontaines D.C. show that, despite all the gloom and doom, they still know how to write a damn good pop song. “You’ve been my favourite for a long time,” Chatten sings, and it’s hard not to feel like he’s singing directly to the listener, thanking them for sticking around through all the highs and lows.
Romance is an album that feels like a culmination of everything Fontaines D.C. have done up to this point. It’s an album that wears its influences proudly but isn’t afraid to push the boundaries of what a Fontaines D.C. record can be. It’s a collection of songs that finds beauty in the darkness, hope in the despair, and, perhaps most importantly, love in the chaos. It’s troubled and uncertain but not without its moments of grace. And isn’t that what romance is all about?
Fontaines D.C. will play Montreal MTelus on October 12
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