By – Paul Cordes Wilm

It must be truly exciting to be Fontaines D.C. right now. It also must be a whole lot of fun!

Their brand new album Romance is a defining turning point for the band. If you’ve never heard of Dubliners, Fontaines D.C., this is the absolute perfect album to get you started. Its 11 tracks find them simultaneously exploring new territory and yet being ever-faithful to the unique sound they’ve worked so hard to establish : a uniquely Irish amalgamation of post-punk and indie rock.

The band has been around since 2019, they’ve recorded 3 albums and have just released their fourth, leaving long-time label (Partisan) and hopping onto a newer, bigger one (XL Recordings). This last endeavor is the most important and thrilling, because where it may not completely signal rebirth for the band, it certainly gives them pause to reflect and re-evaluate all they’ve done, who they’ve become, how their sound has evolved in the last 4 1/2 years and which direction they would like to venture into next.In a nutshell, Romance documents a band on the brink of blowing up into something hugely accessible (not to mention successful), yet smartly playing it safe so as to welcome any newcomers into their unique identity, while also having fun dressing up (both physically and sonically) to see and hear how that solid identity can be played around with..That being said, Romance is an immaculately produced affair, decorated sufficiently with strings, mellotrons, lush backing vocals and many more ear-pleasing embellishments. The album seems to also give many a nostalgic nod to the music of the band’s childhoods, ranging from Hip Hop to Shoegaze to Brit Pop … the list goes on. Echoes of 90’s heavyweights like Oasis, Weezer, Deftones, even The Prodigy at times can be heard throughout. And yet, the inspirational nods never succumb to flat-out adoration. They hold their own, which is not always an easy feat. They seem to have made all the right moves on this outing. The stage is definitely set.

Whether Fontaines D.C. have been your favorite for a long time, or this is your nervous first date with them, be assured : Romance is definitely guaranteed.

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