Music Review: ‘Romance’ is Irish post-punk band Fontaines D.C.’s most pop-sounding record yet

LOS ANGELES — Listening to Irish post-punk band Fontaines D.C.’s latest album feels a lot like watching a movie about a complicated, sometimes painful, love story — albeit one with an edgy flair à la “Sid and Nancy.”

That feeling has as much to do with the record’s sonic journey as it does with the lyrics of “Romance,” the fourth album by the Grammy-nominated group.

They enlisted a new collaborator in producer James Ford, known for his work with pop-infused rock groups like the Gorillaz, Arctic Monkeys and, more recently, the critically acclaimed, up-and-coming rock band The Last Dinner Party.

Ford’s influence is evident in what is arguably the band’s most pop-sounding record yet.

“Romance” begins with its titular and maybe most compelling song, a sonic journey that offers glimmers of hope clouded by unnerving fear. A hauntingly atmospheric melody is interrupted by a heavily distorted, almost menacing guitar that captures the frightening sensation of falling in love.

“Starburster,” the album’s lead single, takes a hip-hop-infused turn in which lead singer Grian Chatten lusts for “momentary blissness” in the chorus while gasping for air. The song was inspired by Chatten having a panic attack in London, where the group is now based.

A tonal shift hits with the third track, “Here’s The Thing.” It’s almost as if whatever afflictions plague the album’s protagonist are finally starting to melt away — or at least be shared and understood — as this newfound lover brings hope and order to chaos. “I feel your pain / It’s mine as well,” Chatten longingly croons.

From then on, the album would make a great soundtrack to a moody romantic film, thanks in part to its poignant lyrics and sound, which is evocative of mid-90s alternative Britpop. (Ford coincidentally also produced Blur’s most recent album). Perhaps London is rubbing off on them.

That sound makes “Romance” relatively accessible, especially when compared to the band’s challengingly complex previous album, “Skinty Fia.” It serves as a reflection of the band’s growing popularity.

The remaining tracks vacillate between joy and longing or sadness — not unlike the feeling of being in a volatile relationship with an uncertain future.

The lovers introduced on “Romance” get a happy, if still melancholy, ending with the album’s final song, “Favourite.” Think of it as a slow zoom out as a montage plays of a couples’ embrace to Chatten singing, accompanied by a bright, jangly guitar: “You been my favourite for a long time.”

And the credits roll.

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