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In its place we get a band that delivers in a totally different way. With several great to very great songs, some just as feverish, but as in a dream that turns more strange with each corner we pass in it. Gone is the tempo, gone is the enormous energy that the former Dublin band put into its songs. In that sense, the world is looking at a complete makeover, In hindsight singer and songwriter Grian Chatten's solo album of 2023 is the bridge between the two last Fontaines D.C. albums.
You've gotten the message by now. There is a new and different Fontaines D.C. So let's focus on Romance now. Of course, after a few listening sessions it is impossible to give a final answer but at this moment in time I can let you know that I truly like what I'm hearing and that Romance will be the first album I'll be buying soon. It is an album that I'll be wanting to play more and more in the near future.
It opens with the title song. It starts dark, brooding and full of suspense, with a little light let in by a child's piano playing a little riff. Chatten starts singing "Into the darkness again". If ever a first sentence was appropriate to the music announcing the subject, it is here. A perfect match, except for the song's title perhaps. It suggests something different than the claustrophobic feelings Chatten is sharing with us. 'Romance' is also a statement. This is us in 2024. You better prepare for a different ride than you may have expected. Fontaines D.C. really made an effort to make this song as dark as possible. A propos Grian Chatten shows how good his singing voice is. Gone as well is the sing-talking he became famous with. 'Romance' is an impressive start to the album and over in 2.33 minutes.
With single 'Starburster' the band gives the old fans a little of what was before. If there is a song on Romance that reminds me of what came before, it is 'Starburster'. Yet, it has this darker side as well and then that angelic interlude with strings and all. It simply surprises more. Where musical options are concerned the band goes deeper than ever before. With a Madchester rhythm the song will also work on the dancefloor.
Getting to know Romance better and better, I notice the energy in the album more and more. The band does rock regularly but in a different way. The 1980s are still a reference but different bands come forward. 'Here's The Thing' brings 'Castles in Spain' by The Armoury Show to mind or 'In A Big Country' by Big Country. Somehow the softer songs in the middle of the album that left their impression on me first. (The louder songs came through far later.) In their energy level I can't help thinking that Fontaines D.C. must have listened to Elbow, the masters of suspense in music. Fontaines D.C. manages this effect masterfully as well, while not forgetting that it is a rock band. 'Desire' is a great example of how the band pulls this off successfully.
What is very noticeable is the keyboards that are used and strings that come in regularly. The arrangements of the songs are far more lush than before. It gives the songs a warmth that belies some of the lyrics to the songs. "In the modern world, I don't feel anything", is the most telling perhaps here. Grian Chatten does not seem to be a happy person, at least when writing the lyrics. The greatest music comes from personal misery and pain, it is often said. It may well be that Romance is the manifestation of that wisdom. Because it is just that. The more I hear it, the more I'm impressed and the more I discover in the album. I'm sure this will continue for some time.
In the final songs Romance levels off a little with a mix between the slower, brooding songs and rock but by then, my conclusion has already been reached, as you could read in the above. What remains to be said, is that I have tried to put a label on the album and found that I could not. The moment I was reminded of a song or band, Fontaines D.C. was already somewhere else again. It appears the band has found its own place and sound. Play this right and Romance should put the band smack in the top level of rock music. Yes, Romance is that good.
Wout de Natris - van den Borght
You can listen to and order Romance here:
https://fontainesdc.bandcamp.com/album/romance
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