Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Fontaines D.C. Romance (XL) 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. That feeling has as much to do with the record’s sonic journey as it does with the lyrics of , the fourth album by the Grammy-nominated group.
begins with its titular and maybe most compelling song, whicht 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. , 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.
A tonal shift hits with the third track, . 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. 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.
The tracks vacillate between joy and longing or sadness — not unlike the feeling of being in a volatile relationship with an uncertain future. HHH.