Fontaines D.C. — ‘Romance’
Until this year, Fontaines D.C. had failed to really capture my imagination. Despite repeated calls from my padre to give them a listen (which is on occasion a red flag in itself), I lazily tossed them into the same ‘man shouts angrily into microphone’ bracket as the likes of Yard Act and Sleaford Mods. Don’t get me wrong, disgruntled snarling over a sparse musical arrangement — please see Soft Play’s ‘Heavy Jelly’ for reference — sometimes hits the spot, but without conducting the necessary research, I’d come to the decision that Fontaines weren’t for me.
A pretty dismal Glastonbury line-up (it’s over now, we can be honest with ourselves), was the turning point, enticing me to give the Dublin-based five-piece a listen as I sought out some artists capable of justifying the eye-watering ticket price. When I hit play my mind was awash with pre-conceptions, expecting a dirge of repetitive guitar riffs and monotone vocals, but instead I was instantly hooked by lyrically and sonically rich tracks like ‘I Love You’ and ‘Jackie Down the Line’. Thanks to some barbaric Friday night clashes and a stellar Dua Lipa headline performance, I ended up missing their set but was all the while aware that my journey with this intriguing band was far from through.
In the lead-up to Glastonbury, Fontaines teased their upcoming album ‘Romance’ with the release of lead singles ‘Starburster’ and ‘Favourite’. Described by lead singer Grian Chatten as a “Dystopian, industrial, futuristic nightmare,” ‘Starburster’ feels like a band treading new ground and exploring new territory, blending elements of the dance, rap and indie genres in a whirlwind of wheezing synths, melodic piano, barbed lyrics and a pulsating drumbeat. The highest praise I can attribute to the track is it evokes memories of Radiohead’s ‘Paranoid Android’ with its symphonic rise and fall, the “Hit me for the day,” refrain offering an introspective moment of respite before barrelling into a brash, uncompromising finale.
While simpler in its construction, ‘Favourite’ is perhaps more successful in evoking emotion, enriched with a joyful, yet somehow also melancholic, undercurrent that flows through the song. Chatten celebrates life’s most important people and what it means to say goodbye to them, with the line “You were my favourite for a long time,” depicting intense feelings of love and yearning while acknowledging that the object of this affection can’t stick around forever.
When the full album finally dropped almost five months after ‘Starbuster’ debuted, what really struck me was how cohesive it sounded. The time and effort invested into creating a tracklist that ebbs and flows, each song complementing the next, is apparent from the very first listen. The title track sets the tone perfectly, as interwoven bass and guitar parts are unexpectedly interrupted by a dramatic barrage of effects that demand you instantly sit up and pay attention. The opening verse closes with the lyrics “I will be beside you / Till you’re dead,” laying the foundation for the dual themes of love and loss that ‘Favourite’ later explores in greater depth.
The idea of contrast is reflected in the careful placement of each track. ‘Here’s The Thing’ sees Fontaines channel their inner Sonic Youth, championing fast tempos and distorted guitar lines in a way that teeters on the edge of capitulation without ever reaching breaking point. The raucous ending grinds to an immediate halt, punctuated by the sombre lead riff of ‘Desire’ that’s the polar opposite of its predecessor. Instead of hitting you in the face from the off, this song gradually builds to a sumptuous crescendo. In isolation, these tracks encapsulate the range and variety of the record as a whole, fusing both the rowdy and reflective sides of Fontaines that coexist perfectly with one another throughout the entirety of ‘Romance’.
The song I’ve struggled most to keep out of my head and headphones is ‘Bug’ — as soon as it ends, you experience that uncontrollable urge to head right back to the start and listen all over again. The chord progression is irresistible, and it’s easy to picture the lyrics ‘She’s an MUA at Carnegie Hall / In her vanity mirror we’re losing it all,’ being belted out with abandon by a crowd of thousands. ‘In The Modern World’ is another highlight, featuring a simple, yet impactful acoustic guitar part that allows the strings and Chatten’s vocal melody to soar in an ethereal display of songwriting ability.
I’m a late bloomer, but I can finally say I’m au fait with Fontaine’s discography, and what impresses me most is the thing I initially assumed they were incapable of: evolution. From debut album ‘Dogrel’ all the way through to ‘Romance’, their sound has grown in complexity and ambition, but they’ve still managed to retain a clear identity throughout this development. Constructing an album that feels genuinely fresh and unique is no mean feat, and I’m excited to see where the next stop on the Fontaines D.C. journey of musical exploration will take us.
