On the first song from Fontaines D.C.’s debut album Dogrel, Grian Chatten proclaimed: “My childhood was small/ But I’m gonna be big.” It was a self-fulfilling prophecy. That 2019 record from the Dublin band — who’ve since relocated to London — instantly set them apart from the slew of other groups overpopulating the post-punk genre. That year, we named them a Band To Watch; the year after, they unveiled its follow-up, A Hero’s Death, which was honored as our Album Of The Week. Their third LP, Skinty Fia, was predictably extraordinary as well, but now, with Romance, Fontaines D.C. leveled up in ways that couldn’t have been expected.
Since the start, Chatten has often been compared to Ian Curtis, which he wasn’t crazy about: “Yeah, I’ve been hearing that for fucking years. I don’t know. I feel like we’ve made so much music that isn’t similar to them at this stage,” Chatten told Uproxx in 2022. That wasn’t particularly true; much of the band’s music overflowed with droning instrumentation and repetitive lyrics delivered bleakly. However, with Romance, Chatten is at last breaking free from being the Joy Division singer’s reincarnation.
Chatten’s transformation shines through especially on “Starburster,” the first preview of the album, which immediately showcased Fontaines D.C.’s disinterest in being pigeonholed in post-punk. There have been times on past albums where Chatten’s speak-singing bordered on rapping; last year, he also featured on Northern Irish hip-hop group Kneecap’s track “Better Way To Live.” On “Starburster,” his sharp-edged drawl makes for a clean flow, grippingly interrupted by melodic gasps that, at the end, culminate into a gag. Chatten said that song was inspired by a panic attack, but the bridge serves as a reprieve, his voice calm and accompanied by a moving string section, before launching back into unease.
A month before the release of Skinty Fia, Chatten, guitarist Carlos O’Connell, guitarist Conor Curley, bassist Conor Deegan, and drummer Tom Coll first started working on Romance. “I don’t understand how artists enter ‘writing periods,’” Chatten said in the band bio. “If you perceive the world creatively, you’ll never need that. I don’t feel like I’m ever not writing the next album.” This genuine curiosity is what makes Romance a real treat, along with Deegan’s statement that he’s “inspired by sounds that seem accidental, distorted and chopped up.”
If what you want from Romance is more of “Starburster,” you’ll be disappointed. But the following singles “Favourite” and “Here’s The Thing” already proved that there are no expectations to be had. “Favourite” moves with jangly sweetness; “Here’s The Thing” ricochets with pop-rock exhilaration. Whereas their previous records captivated in a meditative, downtempo way, Romance grabs the listener by the throat. Chatten explained that the album centers on “falling in love at the end of the world” — a sentiment that could easily be dismissed as corny and overdone by this point if the band had not done it so well. It doesn’t really matter what this album is about; the emotion, the energy, and the idiosyncrasy are there.
Like “Favourite,” many Romance tracks are just plain beautiful and poignant. “Bug,” “Desire,” and “Horseness Is The Whatness” all masterfully tug at your heartstrings as Chatten sings with a deeper sense of vulnerability. At times, this slow-burning yearning falls flat; the dramatic but ultimately dull opener “Romance,” plus “Motorcycle Boy” and “In The Modern World” drag on a little too long and probably wouldn’t be worth listening to outside of the context of the record.
Luckily, though, the beautiful moments on Romance are truly transcendent. The buildup of “Desire” is massive and powerful, and Chatten’s rapping returns with much success. “Bug,” like “Favourite,” is another gorgeous Smiths-like flourish, floating softly and wistfully while Chatten narrates a sad love story vaguely tangled with addiction as he sings about “getting higher than anyone here.” “Sundowner” is a dreamy shoegaze sprawl immersive even enough to get lost in. A string section makes “Horseness Is The Whatness” soar as Chatten has something of a lighthearted existential crisis in delicate intonations: “Will someone/ Find out what the word is/ That makes the world go round/ ‘Cause I thought it was love/ But some say/ That it has to be choice/ I read it in some book/ Or an old packet of smokes.” Throughout these different textures, Chatten’s vocals adapt and sound amazing every time — another strength of Romance.
It’s possible the group jumped the gun by sharing “Starburster,” “Favourite,” and “Here’s The Thing” as the singles. Not many Romance tracks ascend to their level. “Death Kink,” though, is certainly up there, reminiscent of Nirvana and crashing with intensity. The track is apparently about a manipulative relationship, though the lyrics are too fragmented to make sense of; Chatten captures only the mess of the moment as he spits, “Shit shit shit/ Battered/ I caved in/ My promise/ Was shattered.” The urgency can be felt viscerally, especially when he asks, “When will you step in the room out of your head?”
Romance is an overall pleasure. For the past three albums, Fontaines D.C. successfully established themselves as one of the most important bands in their post-punk niche; this album shows that they meant what they declared on “Big.” They’re striving for something more with this new exploratory sound, and they’re likely to succeed.
Romance is out 8/23 on XL.
