Name: Romance
Brand: Fontaines D.C.

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

XL-1436-LP

Colour

Black

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music US

Limited edition

Release date

2024-08-23

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier US

Beggars Group

Tax rate US

Sales:8.875

UPC / Barcode

191404143612

Total Cap

9999

Black LP

XL-1436-LPE

Pink

Extended format: Yes

Indie Exclusive

191404143643

Pink LP

XL-1436-LP2

Clear

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191404143636

Clear LP

XL-1436-CD

191404143629

Artist

Fontaines D.C.

Genre US

Rock-Pop

Label US

Fontaines D.C. is an indie band hailing from Dublin, Ireland. Formed in 2014 as Fontaines, the band came up with the idea of creating a Beatles punk band during a college night out. The same night, they booked a rehearsal space and embarked on their musical journey.

The band consists of talented members including Grian Chatten on vocals, Conor Deegan III on bass, Carlos O’Connell and Conor Curley on guitars, and Tom Coll on drums.

In 2019, Fontaines D.C. released their debut album which was highly acclaimed. It was shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize and elected Rough Trade's Album of the Year for that year.

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Fontaines D.C. release their highly-anticipated fourth album, Romance. Released via XL Recordings, Romance is the band’s first album with producer James Ford and is without doubt their most assured, inventive and sonically adventurous record yet. It’s set to build on the success of the Dublin-made, now London-based band’s acclaimed 2022 album Skinty Fia, which reached number 1 in the UK and Irish album charts and saw the band receiving a host of accolades including “International Group of the Year” at the 2023 Brit Awards.&nbsp;

Heralding Fontaines D.C.’s latest creative (r)evolution is the explosive lead single “Starburster”. Inspired by a panic attack lead singer Grian Chatten suffered in London’s St Pancras station, the song is punctuated by sharp feral intakes of breath. Its propulsive beat and unrelenting lyrics establish self-destruction as fantasy before a brief moment of sobering clarity when the drums fall away and Chatten moves from spitting, almost-rap into an almost-psalm, his baritone rich and dreamy. It’s accompanied by a cinematic music video from director Aube Perrie (Megan Thee Stallion, Harry Styles, The Hives) that captures the song’s cathartic intensity to brilliant effect. 

Romance is Fontaines D.C.s most ambitious, expansive record yet, its 11 tracks constellating ideas that have been percolating among Grian Chatten (vocals), Carlos O’Connell (guitar), Conor Curley (guitar), Conor Deegan (bass), and Tom Coll (drums) since they released Skinty Fia in 2022. These ideas crystalised while touring the U.S. and Mexico with Arctic Monkeys as the five band members shared music and found a throughline with artists that deftly build out their own sprawling creative worlds: the attitude and aesthetic sheen of artists like Shygirl and Sega Bodega, the bolshy sonic palettes of hip hop and heavy metal, Mos Def, A$AP Ferg, OutKast and Korn. They had time apart to build more singular visions for what future music could be: O’Connell went to Spain’s Castile-La Mancha and later became a new father, while Chatten spent time in LA, and Deegan in Paris. They laid deeper roots in London. Each member spent time pushing their boundaries – experimental riffs, chord progressions, and far-flung lyrical references without intentions for a record. After wrapping up the US arena tour in Autumn 2023, they spent a month writing together again, three weeks of pre-production in a North London studio, and a month in a chateau close to Paris, sleeping among studio equipment, completely immersed.

The sonic evolution of the band, who bared their teeth in early records with antagonistic punk sensibilities, is an ascent into grungier breaks, dystopian electronica, hip-hop percussion, and dreamy Slowdive-esque textures that may surprise fans. The shoegaze touchpoints first pressed on&nbsp;Skinty Fia&nbsp;unfold on&nbsp;Romance&nbsp;like a purpling bruise. But any “retro aesthetic”, as Chatten describes it, is left behind.&nbsp;Reflecting on the impending release, Chatten says, “We say things on this record we’ve wanted to say for a long time. I never feel like it's over, but it’s nice to feel lighter.” The fantasy is felt for better or worse, and Fontaines D.C. welcome either end of oblivion.

Romance

Music US

Discover Romance by Fontaines D.C. on XL label. Vinyl records for music lovers. Exclusive and fast shipping available. Trusted since 1976.