Irish post-punk outfit Fontaines D.C. are back with news of their fourth album, ‘Romance,’ due out this August on XL Recordings. This marks a new chapter for the band, following three albums on Partisan Records. They’ve also enlisted the production talents of James Ford, known for his work with Arctic Monkeys and Depeche Mode.
“We’ve always had this sense of idealism and romance,” says bassist Connor Deegan. “Each album gets further away from observing that through the lens of Ireland, as directly as Dogrel. The second album (A Hero’s Death) is about that detachment, and the third (Skinty Fia) is about Irishness dislocated in the diaspora. Now we look to where and what else there is to be romantic about.”
“I’m fascinated by that – falling in love at the end of the world,” frontman Grian Chatten says. “The album is about protecting that tiny flame. The bigger Armageddon looms, the more precious it becomes,” guitarist Carlos O’Connell adds. “This record is about deciding what’s fantasy – the tangible world, or where you go in your mind. What represents reality more? That feels almost spiritual for us.”
‘Romance’ reflects the band’s broadened musical horizons. They credit artists like Shygirl, Sega Bodega, and The Prodigy as influences, a departure from their earlier punk leanings. The lead single, “Starburster,” exemplifies this shift. Inspired by a panic attack Chatten experienced in London’s St. Pancras station, the song features a jarring soundscape and a rap-infused vocal delivery, hinting at the band’s recent collaboration with Irish hip-hop group Kneecap.
The “Starburster” video, directed by Aube Perrie (who’s worked with artists like Megan Thee Stallion and Harry Styles), reflects the song’s unsettling mood.
Watch below:
TRACKLIST:
01 “Romance”
02 “Starburster”
03 “Here’s The Thing”
04 “Desire”
05 “In The Modern World”
06 “Bug”
07 “Motorcycle Boy”
08 “Sundowner”
09 “Horseness Is The Whatness”
10 “Death Kink”
11 “Favourite”
Romance is out August 23 on XL.
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