Romance - Fontaines D.C.
Joint Society Album Review
In their fourth album, Fontaines D.C. have moved away from their Irish-centric themes, crafting a whole new dystopian world that branches out from their post-punk roots. Romance is a place that begins with foreboding dramatics and ends with hopeful nostalgia. This decision was appreciated by members of the society, who thought that the album might be too ‘bleak’ had it not ended on Favourite, an aptly named track considering that it’s the band’s favourite song they’ve ever written.
With 200 people attending the first review of the year, there were notable variations in the feedback. For example, the track Horseness Is The Whatness was voted the worst track overall, whilst three groups listed it as their favourite track. However, opinion was not so divided on the best tracks. The Korn-inspired, tongue-in-cheek lead single Starburster, a song inspired by the story of frontman Chatten’s panic attack on the tube, was a firm favourite amongst the society. The tracks Bug and Death Kink were also voted as some of the best on the LP.
Some people found the lyrics to be quite abstract and ‘obscure without research’, though they did say that the catchiness of the songs makes such research ‘delightful’. The band, having initially bonded over a common love of poetry, use literary references throughout the LP, with the track Horseness Is The Whatness deriving its name from a quote in James Joyce’s Ulysess.
Lots of review attendees noted that the album was slower and darker than their previous releases, and this split opinion. Some people loved the ‘unnerving but beautiful’ style of it and thought that the band had really ‘refined the small details of their songs’. They found the LP to be ‘gothic’, both ‘futuristic and nostalgic’ with ‘good instrumentals.’
Some respondents felt that although the album was a ‘really great evolution’ from their previous records, a couple of the songs ‘felt a bit weak’. One group liked the ‘overall sound’ but felt that the intro song ‘set expectations too high and the middle of the album was mush’. Some respondents thought the album was too slow, wanting it ‘louder’ and ‘heavier’, and one group highlighted that ‘some slow vocal performances felt weak’. Others preferred their previous releases, namely predecessor Skinty Fia and debut album Dogrel.
The album scored an average of 7.5/10 amongst society members.
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