Niall is joined by journalist and arts writer Aoife Barry to review the fourth album from the Fontaines – new chapter, new label, new look, new sound?
Romance signifies some change for the band, their first on new label XL Recordings. They have graduated from the indie producer du jour Dan Carey with James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Blur, Depeche Mode, Florence and the Machine, Gorillaz ) at the controls, a producer known for tbig music stage sounds.
Romance brings a mix of guitar rock genres – shoegaze, 80s Irish and UK indie, ‘90s alt-rock, grunge, into their fold, while retaining their core Fontaines sound. Yet the songs are among the brightest they’ve done.
Grian Chatten’s lyrics have transcended their Dublin roots and embraced a universality. The preoccupation with a city of origin is replaced by Romance as a concept.
His vocals have grown on this record, more soaring, more melodic, brighter, less gutteral, more commanding and varied.
But is it any good? Dive into Romance with us.
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