FONTAINES D.C. - ROMANCE
Dan Tsourekas - 21st Aug 2024
Photograph: Theo Cottle (2024)
Romance is one of the seven definitions of love according to Ancient Greek mythology. The Greek god of love, Eros, being the son of Aphrodite, was predominantly resonated with the more passionate and powerful kind of love. Eros however, consumed and controlled people's minds, clouding the individual's judgement with romance and obsession, and therefore was generally considered to be dangerous, madness inducing and frightening. Fast forward to the modern era, and while romance is still affiliated with infatuation, there is a clear pathway towards a deeper feeling, a longer lasting element of love.
Fontaines D.C. have always toyed with the ideology of romance. From their explosive debut Dogrel, the glum and dystopian sounds of A Hero's Death, and eventually the fascinating experimental slow burner that was Skinty Fia, the themes of idealism and romance are persistent. Most notably however, the band seem to viewing these themes from a different angle, each one drifting further apart from the Irish lens of their first project.
Romance delves deeper into the experimental sounds that the band scratched the surface of in their previous album. It is unlike anything they have done in the past, yet keeps their identity intact. Influenced by Katsuhiro Ôtomo's Akira, which bases itself on the premise of love in the midst of political corruption and technological advancement to the point of destruction, the album surrounds itself with the importance of love during what could seem like the end of the world, and sonically the beautiful chaos it incorporates elevates that importance.
Photograph: Simon Wheatley (2024)
The looming feeling of dread through haunting percussion and string instruments during the title intro track seemingly sets the tone for what's to come. It feels like a gateway into someones mind. Frontman Grian Chatten expressively sings "Maybe romance is a place", as the lines between reality are about to become increasingly blurred throughout the rest of the album.
Starburster only further amplifies that, carrying an immense sense of chaos and disorientation through its self destructive lyrics. Easily bearing the title of "most aggressive and in your face song" of the bands discography to date, the nu-metal and hip-hop influences, and punchy tempo bring the track to life, while its brief yet soothing final pre-chorus psalm provides the listener with a moment of clarity.
Photograph: Romance Album Cover (2024)
Photograph: Theo Cottle (2024)
Part of this projects charm is its unrelenting nature to explore different sonic avenues to express different stages of romance and love. It's experimentalism propels it forward on a plethora of levels. The back and forth between the usual instrumentation and the newer addition of emotion-inducing orchestration seamlessly creates a fantasy world where each reality and perception of what romance is takes a different form of life in each track. Despite this however, it never feels like it's not a Fontaines D.C. album. Grian's distinctive raw and impactful vocals, paired with his and the band's poetic lyricism constantly remind the listener that no matter how different the sound is, they always wear their heart on their sleeve and have something to say.
While their image transformation is vastly more different than their sonic one, it is quite clear to see what path the band want to evolve down. The fantastic layering of orchestral sounds, spoken word, and octave changing choruses, are only few of these changes, which in particular make standout track 'Desire' the best song they have released to date. 'In The Modern World' captures a picture of detachment from the modern capitalist society, a world where what you earn and consume is prioritised over who you are, through the lens of a throuple. Death Kink takes us into the mind of someone that realises they're in a manipulative relationship, through a dark chord progression. But even this more traditional rock song is warped by the overarching elements of Romance.
The fourth studio album by Fontaines D.C. feels like an anthology of short films which exist under one thematically overarching umbrella. The band's influences through cultural staples within literature and cinema ('Horseness Is The Whatness' being a direct reference to James Joyce's Ulysses) create a psychedelic unparalleled world filled with memorable music and lyrics, without compromising the elements and identity that make them the musicians that are loved by so many people worldwide. Romance is a success on all fronts, and a step in the right direction for Fontaines D.C., who have not only exited their comfort zone, but have completely dominated the sound they have experimented with.