Fontaines D.C. - Romance

XL

Dublin's finest Fontaines D.C. return two years removed from their previous project, 2022's 'Skinty Fia'. It's the bands debut on industry heavyweights XL Recordings and first album with producer James Ford - Arctic Monkeys, Shame, Everything Everything, Gorillaz, Florence and the Machine, the list goes on. The sour meets a hint of sweet. 

Romance is aesthetically upholstered. The engine, well-oiled and more than stable, runs the same; the look and feel, updated. From a mesh of maroon and deep brown to neon green and phosphorescent pink, the surrounding worlds of Fontaines D.C. have been colour injected. The clouds have a silver lining however dark, dreary and undoubtedly anguished the pastures may be. A fragility - as is usually the case - eventually seeps through the cracks of the the hard-head bravado. Rays of vulnerability - like water - will always find a way through. Drip, drip, drip. Subtle water torture of the self. Like knocking against the inside of your ribs. Hello? Skeletal xylophones and all that. Awareness of ones dishevelled disposition. Powerless to the external push. 

Romance is very 'Blur' in my books. It hosts a blend of pop sensibilities with down-and-dirty, grunge-like grit. There's a lovely depth and sonic expanse to Romance. Different terrain requires a different approach - wheels, machines, mobiles - to traverse the land. To go deeper you may need to also go wider; in order to find the plot which gives. Romance is a bit scattered because of this. A loose, light ribbon ties the project together. 

"Favourite" is the best song - subjective opinion, objective fact - released in 2024.

Into the darkness again.....