Fontaines D.C. Romance album review
Music, Sounds

Fontaines D.C., Romance: REVIEW

by Dave MacIntyre

“Another lights-out record by a lights-out band.”

Fontaines D.C., Romance (XL)

Fontaines D.C. aren’t just arguably one of the best bands on Earth right now, they’re also one of the most consistent. Their first three albums (most recently 2022’s Skinty Fia) were all excellent showcases of the Irish band’s musical evolution, and their newest album Romance sees the five-piece challenging themselves more than ever. While post-punk is still very much embedded in Grian Chatten and co’s DNA, the band veers more heavily into ‘90s garage rock (“Here’s the Thing”) and orchestral post-Britpop (“In the Modern World”), and even base lead single “Starbuster” around a hip hop-style rhythm. The sunny jangle pop of “Favourite” is an absolute knockout of a song, with “Desire” and the almost Air-like dream pop of “Sundowner” further showing their range. Another lights-out record by a lights-out band. 9/10 Trial Track: “Favourite”

“Favourite” from Romance by Fontaines D.C.

For more on Fontaines D.C., please visit their website. This review was originally published in the Oct. 2024 issue of Cult MTL.

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Posted in Music, Sounds

by Dave MacIntyre

Contributing editor for Music
Dave MacIntyre is a Montreal-based freelance journalist. His primary topic of interest is music, but is equally comfortable writing about sports, current events, and Montreal-related initiatives. Outside of Cult MTL, his bylines can be found in publications like BeatRoute and Northern Transmissions. And no, he is not related to Reba, nor to the WWE wrestler Drew, nor to Joey from New Kids on the Block.