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Having become a crank wave sensation in just five years, Fontaines D.C. are not resting on their laurels. The Irish quintet have changed up their formula for their fourth album. Their first album Dogrel—instantly recognized with a Qobuzissime upon its release in 2019—drew heavily from the punk scene, A Hero’s Death (2020) leaned into ballads with Smiths-like melancholy, the tense post-punk of Skinty Fia (2022) reflected their sense of alienation in London, and now Romance seeks romanticism elsewhere. The band has left Partisan (Idles, The Black Angels) for XL Recordings (Peggy Gou, The Smile) and switched from producer Dan Carey (Squid, Geese) to James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode). They've also traded their Adidas tracksuits and checkered shirts for more of a black leather Matrix style. Gone too are the album covers with mythological icons, replaced by the nightmare-fueled, futuristic Procreate creations of Taiwanese artist Lulu Lin.
In terms of sound, Romance flaunts a new feel. The title track draws from Shygirl's stretched experimental pop. "Starbuster" is a tantra of antsy rap twisted around steady melodies. "Here’s the Thing", reminiscent of Placebo, goes in the opposite direction with its heavily distorted 2000s rock sound, while "In This Modern World" takes a more pop-rock approach with its tragic choruses. "Sundowner" breaks off to dive into reverb-soaked, loop-laden shoegaze. Despite all this, the Irish band have not forgetten their post-punk expertise ("Death Kink," "Motorcycle Boy"), nor are they shy to bring in some strings ("Horseness Is the Whatness"), ending on a high note with the dance-style "Favourite" and its feel-good riff. To achieve this dramatic tension, the group locked themselves in recording studios while working on the project: three weeks in North London and a month in a château near Paris, even sleeping among their instruments. This ultra-alluring transformation may offend some but will captivate the hearts of countless others. © Charlotte Saintoin/Qobuz
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James Ford, Producer, MixingEngineer, StudioMusician - Matt Colton, MasteringEngineer - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Tom Coll, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony Cazade, Engineer - FONTAINES D.C., MainArtist - Conor Curley, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Conor Deegan III, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Grian Chatten, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Carlos O'Connell, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Samuel Borst, Engineer
2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd 2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd
Richard Jones, StudioMusician - Emma Smith, StudioMusician - James Ford, Producer, MixingEngineer - Matt Colton, MasteringEngineer - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Laura Moody, StudioMusician - Jennymay Logan, StudioMusician - Tom Coll, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony Cazade, Engineer - FONTAINES D.C., MainArtist - Conor Curley, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Conor Deegan III, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Grian Chatten, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Carlos O'Connell, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Samuel Borst, Engineer - Animesh Raval, Engineer - Marriane Schofield, StudioMusician - Frederick Wordsworth, Composer, Arranger
2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd 2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd
James Ford, Producer, MixingEngineer - Matt Colton, MasteringEngineer - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Tom Coll, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony Cazade, Engineer - FONTAINES D.C., MainArtist - Conor Curley, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Conor Deegan III, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Grian Chatten, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Carlos O'Connell, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Samuel Borst, Engineer
2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd 2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd
Richard Jones, StudioMusician - Emma Smith, StudioMusician - James Ford, Producer, MixingEngineer, StudioMusician - Matt Colton, MasteringEngineer - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Laura Moody, StudioMusician - Jennymay Logan, StudioMusician - Tom Coll, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony Cazade, Engineer - FONTAINES D.C., MainArtist - Conor Curley, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Conor Deegan III, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Grian Chatten, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Carlos O'Connell, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Samuel Borst, Engineer - Animesh Raval, Engineer - Marriane Schofield, StudioMusician
2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd 2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd
Richard Jones, StudioMusician - Emma Smith, StudioMusician - James Ford, Producer, MixingEngineer - Matt Colton, MasteringEngineer - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Laura Moody, StudioMusician - Jennymay Logan, StudioMusician - Tom Coll, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony Cazade, Engineer - FONTAINES D.C., MainArtist - Conor Curley, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Conor Deegan III, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Grian Chatten, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Carlos O'Connell, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Samuel Borst, Engineer - Animesh Raval, Engineer - Marriane Schofield, StudioMusician
2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd 2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd
James Ford, Producer, MixingEngineer - Matt Colton, MasteringEngineer - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Tom Coll, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony Cazade, Engineer - FONTAINES D.C., MainArtist - Conor Curley, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Conor Deegan III, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Grian Chatten, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Carlos O'Connell, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Samuel Borst, Engineer
2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd 2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd
James Ford, Producer, MixingEngineer - Matt Colton, MasteringEngineer - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Luke Pickering, Engineer - Tom Coll, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - FONTAINES D.C., MainArtist - Conor Curley, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Conor Deegan III, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Grian Chatten, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Carlos O'Connell, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Chiara Ferracuti, Engineer
2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd 2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd
James Ford, Producer, MixingEngineer - Matt Colton, MasteringEngineer - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Tom Coll, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony Cazade, Engineer - FONTAINES D.C., MainArtist - Conor Curley, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Conor Deegan III, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Grian Chatten, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Carlos O'Connell, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Samuel Borst, Engineer
2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd 2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd
Richard Jones, StudioMusician - Emma Smith, StudioMusician - James Ford, Producer, MixingEngineer - Matt Colton, MasteringEngineer - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Laura Moody, StudioMusician - Jennymay Logan, StudioMusician - Tom Coll, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony Cazade, Engineer - FONTAINES D.C., MainArtist - Conor Curley, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Conor Deegan III, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Grian Chatten, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Carlos O'Connell, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Samuel Borst, Engineer - Animesh Raval, Engineer - Marriane Schofield, StudioMusician
2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd 2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd
James Ford, Producer, MixingEngineer - Matt Colton, MasteringEngineer - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Tom Coll, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony Cazade, Engineer - FONTAINES D.C., MainArtist - Conor Curley, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Conor Deegan III, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Grian Chatten, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Carlos O'Connell, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Samuel Borst, Engineer
2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd 2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd
James Ford, Producer, MixingEngineer - Matt Colton, MasteringEngineer - Domino Publishing, MusicPublisher - Domino Music Publishing, MusicPublisher - Luke Pickering, Engineer - Tom Coll, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony Cazade, Engineer - FONTAINES D.C., MainArtist - Conor Curley, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Conor Deegan III, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Grian Chatten, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Carlos O'Connell, Composer, AssociatedPerformer - Samuel Borst, Engineer
2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd 2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd
Album review
Having become a crank wave sensation in just five years, Fontaines D.C. are not resting on their laurels. The Irish quintet have changed up their formula for their fourth album. Their first album Dogrel—instantly recognized with a Qobuzissime upon its release in 2019—drew heavily from the punk scene, A Hero’s Death (2020) leaned into ballads with Smiths-like melancholy, the tense post-punk of Skinty Fia (2022) reflected their sense of alienation in London, and now Romance seeks romanticism elsewhere. The band has left Partisan (Idles, The Black Angels) for XL Recordings (Peggy Gou, The Smile) and switched from producer Dan Carey (Squid, Geese) to James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode). They've also traded their Adidas tracksuits and checkered shirts for more of a black leather Matrix style. Gone too are the album covers with mythological icons, replaced by the nightmare-fueled, futuristic Procreate creations of Taiwanese artist Lulu Lin.
In terms of sound, Romance flaunts a new feel. The title track draws from Shygirl's stretched experimental pop. "Starbuster" is a tantra of antsy rap twisted around steady melodies. "Here’s the Thing", reminiscent of Placebo, goes in the opposite direction with its heavily distorted 2000s rock sound, while "In This Modern World" takes a more pop-rock approach with its tragic choruses. "Sundowner" breaks off to dive into reverb-soaked, loop-laden shoegaze. Despite all this, the Irish band have not forgetten their post-punk expertise ("Death Kink," "Motorcycle Boy"), nor are they shy to bring in some strings ("Horseness Is the Whatness"), ending on a high note with the dance-style "Favourite" and its feel-good riff. To achieve this dramatic tension, the group locked themselves in recording studios while working on the project: three weeks in North London and a month in a château near Paris, even sleeping among their instruments. This ultra-alluring transformation may offend some but will captivate the hearts of countless others. © Charlotte Saintoin/Qobuz
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 11 track(s)
- Total length: 00:36:57
- Main artists: FONTAINES D.C.
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: XL Recordings
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock Alternative & Indie
2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd 2024 32 County Love Train Ltd under exclusive license to XL Recordings Ltd
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