CD of The Week

Fontaines D.C. - Romance (XL)

With their 2019 debut album, Dogrel, Dublin band Fontaines D.C. instantly emerged as one of the most exciting bands in indie rock. Combining angular post-punk-inspired rhythms and a blue-collar bar band perspective, Fontaines D.C. spoke to fans who clamored for visceral hooks and the unique, poetic voice of frontman Grian Chatten. Their second and third albums gradually opened up the band’s sound, but their fourth album, Romance represents their biggest shift in approach yet. Signing to a bigger label in XL (the home of Radiohead/The Smile) and working with polished producer Dan Ford (who worked on recent albums by Arctic Monkeys and Depeche Mode), the quintet is exploring grander, more adventurous territory to great effect.

Almost every song on Romance possesses a different tone and draws on different influences which makes for an exciting listen. The opening title track is effectively spooky and first single, “Starbuster” may be the first rap-rock song to ever be described as lush, with string effects playing under quirky bars such as “I wanna strait the shark and find me a place to park / like the light when it’s dark.” Somehow, this bold experiment works. Meanwhile, “Here’s the Thing” rides on a piercing riff and harsh synths that match the theme of obsessive love. The tune sonically resembles some of the sounds of mid-90s modern rock radio and would be one of the two or three best songs on any of those playlists if released 30 years ago.

The rest of the album maintains the genre-hopping spirit and even if the vibe doesn’t stay consistent, the songwriting quality largely does. In general, there is more acoustic instrumentation and subtle vocal harmonies than you would expect, but anthems are not given short shrift. Of definite appeal to fans of the band’s early material is “Death Kink” which is harsh and aggressive (a Pixies influence appears here) with self-effacing lyrics that are both darkly funny and deeply tragic. Some of the songs meander (the dream-pop textures and vocals by lead guitarist Connor Curley are an awkward fit on “Sundowner”), but the breadth of the 37-minute album is very admirable.

Even if it isn’t their most impactful album, Romance is a major triumph for one of the best bands to emerge in the last decade. Fontaines D.C. show a tremendous amount of range and emotional depth throughout the album, which subverts expectations in exciting ways. Some old fans may miss some of the rawness and the more distinctly Irish perspective of their earlier work, but most should be very pleased by the band’s continued evolution.

Fontaines D.C. will be visiting Philly with a show at The Fillmore on October 20th.
Review by Sol