LOS ANGELES – Listening to the latest album by Irish post-punk band Fontaines DC is almost like watching a movie about a complicated, sometimes painful love story – albeit with an edgy flair à la “Sid and Nancy.”
That feeling has to do with both the record’s sonic journey and the lyrics of “Romance,” the Grammy-nominated group’s fourth album.
As a new collaborator, they have brought in producer James Ford, known for his work with pop-rock groups such as the Gorillaz, Arctic Monkeys and, more recently, the critically acclaimed up-and-coming rock band The Last Dinner Party.
Ford’s influence is clearly felt on what is probably the band’s poppiest-sounding record to date.
“Romance” opens with the title track and perhaps its most captivating song, a sonic journey that offers glimmers of hope marred by unsettling fear. A hauntingly atmospheric melody is punctuated by a heavily distorted, almost menacing guitar that captures the frightening feeling of falling in love.
“Starburster,” the album’s first single, takes a hip-hop-tinged turn, with lead singer Grian Chatten thirsting for “momentary bliss” in the chorus while gasping for air. The song was inspired by Chatten’s panic attack in London, where the group is now based.
There’s a shift in tone with the third track, “Here’s The Thing.” It’s almost as if the woes that plague the album’s protagonist are finally starting to disappear – or at least are being shared and understood – as this new lover brings hope and order to the chaos. “I feel your pain / It’s mine too,” Chatten sings wistfully.
From there, the album would make a great soundtrack to a moody romance film, thanks in part to its poignant lyrics and sound reminiscent of mid-90s alternative Britpop. Perhaps London is rubbing off on them.
This sound makes Romance relatively accessible, especially when compared to the band’s challengingly complex previous album, Skinty Fia, and reflects the band’s growing popularity.
The remaining pieces fluctuate between joy and longing or sadness – not unlike the feeling of being in an unstable relationship with an uncertain future.
The lovers featured in “Romance” find a happy, if still melancholy, ending with the album’s final song, “Favourite.” Think of it as a slow zoom out as a montage of a couple’s embrace plays while Chatten sings, accompanied by a bright, tinkling guitar, “You were my favourite for a long time.”
And the credits roll.
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