Fontaines D.C.: Romance [XL RECORDINGS]

Why you'll love it

Romance sold more than double the first week of its No. 1 predecessor, earned Grammy nominations for Best Rock Album and Best Alternative Music Performance, and turned the Dublin band into arena headliners. "Starburster" is one of the singles of the decade.

This edition

• Single LP, 11 tracks
• XL Recordings pressing of the 2024 album
• Produced by James Ford

About the album

Fontaines D.C. made their name writing about Dublin, its streets, its pubs and its ghosts, so for their fourth album they decided to leave all that behind. Romance is their first record for XL and their first with producer James Ford (of Arctic Monkeys and Gorillaz fame), and it's a bold, cinematic leap: darker and dreamier in places, harder and stranger in others, with Grian Chatten howling, crooning and gasping his way through it.

"Starburster," with its panic-attack breathing and orchestral swells, became an instant classic, "Favourite" is a shimmering, Smiths-tinged singalong, and "Here's the Thing" bristles with grunge-era menace. Critics loved it, fans packed bigger rooms than ever, and the band's fashion turned neon. It's the sound of a great band refusing to stand still.

Also at Kops: more Fontaines D.C. on vinyl · browse Punk

Tracklist

Listen

On XL Recordings, first out in 2024.