As they approach the release of their hotly-anticipated fourth album, ROMANCE on Friday (23rd August via XL Recordings), Fontaines D.C. today release ‘In The Modern World’, the fourth song to be revealed from the record. Lead singer Grian Chatten wrote the album’s central track during an “inexplicable” 10-day stint alone in Los Angeles in early 2023 as he decompressed from touring. It is, he says, probably his favourite track. The lush, languorous Los Angeles of Lana Del Rey is present, as is the decaying glamour of old Hollywood soundtracks and films like the Gloria Swanson-starring Sunset Boulevard. It is Fontaines D.C. at their most cinematic, built around the image of a fictional throuple together amid armageddon, embracing a fantastical world fuelled by denial and romance.
The accompanying music video sees the band again collaborating with lauded filmmaker Luna Carmoon (Hoard, Shagbands, Nosebleed), who previously shot the video for ROMANCE’s ‘Here’s The Thing’. Starring actor Ewan Mitchell, Carmoon’s equally cinematic video places ‘In The Modern World’ into the brutal, passionate and fetishistic theatre of a Car Jitsu bout.
WATCH THE ‘IN THE MODERN WORLD’ VIDEO HERE
“Knockout, spiritual songs for the end of time… ‘Romance’ offers moments of wonder and gravity while also feeling occasionally foreboding – NME ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“It invites a bigger audience into Fontaines DC’s world, but it never begs them to accept. You suspect they’ll take up the offer regardless.” – The Guardian ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“Cementing their place as generational greats” – Rolling Stone UK ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
PRE-ORDER / PRE-SAVE ROMANCE HERE
In April, Fontaines D.C. released the bombastic first track from the new album, ‘Starburster’ to international acclaim, with the song declared the best of 2024 so far by Rolling Stone and Consequence. It was released alongside the much-talked about music video from Aube Perrie, a conceptual world that continues to unfold. The follow-up single and shimmering finalé ‘Favourite’ has grown into a firm fan favourite following its debut outing at the band’s sold-out Brooklyn Warsaw show in April and during the electrifying headline show at Glastonbury’s Park Stage. Together with recent single ‘Here’s The Thing’ and now ‘In The Modern World’, fans get a glimpse into the expansive, experimental record to come.
ROMANCE is Fontaines D.C.s most ambitious 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. 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 Skinty Fia unfold on ROMANCE like a purpling bruise. Working with producer James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Blur), the band left behind any “retro aesthetic”, as 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.”
PRAISE FOR ROMANCE:
“It invites a bigger audience into Fontaines DC’s world, but it never begs them to accept. You suspect they’ll take up the offer regardless.” – The Guardian ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“Knockout, spiritual songs for the end of time… ‘Romance’ offers moments of wonder and gravity while also feeling occasionally foreboding” – NME ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“Cementing their place as generational greats” – Rolling Stone UK ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“The future is here and it’s alive with possibility. One reason Romance feels so exciting is its affirmation of a renewed creative spirit” – MOJO ★ ★ ★ ★
“It’s startling to think how far Fontaines have traveled creatively in five years, through an agitated restlessness, a vivid imagination, and courage to try the new. With Romance, they’ve found a new place to excel” – Record Collector ★ ★ ★ ★
“The extraordinary thing about these songs is that even after a couple of listens they sound like instant classics… It’s simply simply that there is no band that reiterate rock’n’roll’s allure with more conviction than Fontaines D.C. right now” – Hi-Fi Choice ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“An album of impeccably considered concepts championed by songwriting that refuses to let the Dublin outfit down” – – The Skinny ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“With Romance, Fontaines D.C. leveled up in ways that couldn’t have been expected” – Stereogum
Fontaines D.C.
Romance
August 23rd 2024
XL Recordings
PRE-ORDER / PRE-SAVE ROMANCE HERE
ROMANCE Track List
- Romance
- Starburster
- Here’s The Thing
- Desire
- In The Modern World
- Bug
- Motorcycle Boy
- Sundowner
- Horseness is the Whatness
- Death Kink
- Favourite
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