Fontaines D.C. have unveiled details for their fourth album, Romance, due out August 23rd via XL Recordings. As a preview, the band has unveiled the lead single, “Starburster.” Watch the music video for the new song below.
Romance follows the band’s celebrated 2022 release Skinty Fia and seeks to further push Fontaines D.C. into new sonic and thematic territory. Incorporating elements of hip-hop, shoegaze, grunge, and more, the album continues the Irish act’s reflections on nationality, identity, and notions of idealism. Notably, Romance also marks the band’s first collaboration with Consequence’s 2023 Producer of the Year James Ford.
“We’ve always had this sense of idealism and romance,” guitarist Conor Deegan stated. “Each album gets further away from observing that through the lens of Ireland, as directly as Dogrel. The second album (A Hero’s Death) is about that detachment, and the third (Skinty Fia) is about Irishness dislocated in the diaspora. Now, we look to where and what else there is to be romantic about.”
“We say things on this record we’ve wanted to say for a long time,” frontman Grian Chatten added. “I never feel like it’s over, but it’s nice to feel lighter.”
“Starburster” arrives as the first taste of the band’s increasingly experimental direction. Inspired by a panic attack frontman Grian Chatten suffered in London’s St Pancras station, the track features distinctly hip-hop-influenced drums, a rapid-fire vocal performance from Chatten, and a mid-song tonal shift.
Last year, Chatten released his debut solo effort, Chaos for the Fly. Fontaines D.C. also recently contributed to a charity EP titled ceasefire, which raised money for Doctors Without Borders’ relief efforts in Gaza and the West Bank.
Revisit our 2022 interview with Chatten, in which he discusses the band’s ascent, trajectory, and Skinty Fia.
Romance Album Artwork:
Romance Tracklist:
01. Romance
02. Starburster
03. Here’s The Thing
04. Desire
05. In The Modern World
06. Bug
07. Motorcycle Boy
08. Sundowner
09. Horseness is the Whatness
10. Death Kink
11. Favourite