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. . 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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