Romance (Fontaines D.C. album)

Grian Chatten told Mojo that they decided to step away from their Irish-centric themes for the album as it would have been too difficult to "sound like Ireland" while crafting a futuristic and dystopian vision called Romance. According to Chatten, the songwriting process was, as usual for the band, a "constant process" that happened between touring. The "spiritual form" of the album first emerged when he wrote the track "In the Modern World". He compared the process to soundtracking a city for which he finally understood the "colour and the year and the atmosphere and the temperature" of. The album was influenced by several locations as well as "certain atmospheres at certain times", including Tokyo. Chatten stated, "We write a lot more based on visual references than musical references. It's easier to be original." The album was also inspired by Japanese manga and Italian cinema. The album is produced by James Ford. Drummer Tom Coll said that Romance was, in some ways, like the band's first-ever studio record in that they deliberately moved away from their long-held "if we can't play it live, let's not do it" mentality. The lyrics to "Here's the Thing" were built off the back of an argument between Chatten and O'Connell, and "In the Modern World" was inspired by Lana Del Rey's "strain of disillusionment". == Influences ==

Frontman Grian Chatten noted the influence of Dylan Thomas and the book Land Sickness by Nikolaj Schultz as well as the films Sunset Boulevard, The Great Beauty and Wings of Desire on his lyricism. The horror-inspired music video for single "Here's the Thing" drew comparisons to the films The Lost Boys (1987) and Phenomena (1985). It was directed by Luna Carmoon, who confirmed the influence of Phenomena, and commented: == Critical reception ==

Keith Cameron of Mojo rated it 4 out of 5 stars, stating, "Inspired by Japanese manga and Italian cinema, the Irish quintet's fourth searches for truth in a world gone wrong." Cameron continued: "The more conventionally arranged Bug still has him [Grian] threading words like a tessellated moving pavement [...]. With the music's adjacency to 'There Is a Light That Never Goes Out', it occurs that just like the Smiths, this is a rock band with both a fresh vocabulary and behavioural code." On 28 November 2024, Romance won the Album Award at the Rolling Stone UK Awards 2024, and was called by the magazine "an instant classic". Year-end lists == Accolades ==

On 10 September 2025, Romance was announced as one of 12 nominees for the 2025 Mercury Prize. == Track listing ==

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes and Tidal. Fontaines D.C. • Grian Chatten – vocals, piano (all tracks); Mellotron (track 2), guitar (5, 7, 10, 11), acoustic guitar (12) • Conor Curley – guitar (1–13), Bass VI (1, 2), vocals (8), backing vocals (1, 4, 6) • Carlos O'Connell – guitar, keyboards (1–13); Mellotron (1, 2, 5, 8, 9), backing vocals (4, 7, 11), Yamaha Reface CP (1, 2, 4, 5, 8–10), Minimoog (1), organ (5), ring modulation (6), piano (7), synthesizer (14), design, art direction • Conor Deegan – bass, Bass VI (1–13); backing vocals (1–8, 10, 11), tick tack piano (1), Minimoog (4), piano (12) • Tom Coll – drums, percussion (1–13); guitar (9) Additional credits • James Ford – production, mixing, Therevox, Moog (all tracks); fuzz guitar (1), Suiko Koto synthesizer (4), programming (12, 13) • Freddy Wordsworth – keyboards arrangement • Emma Smith – violin (2, 4, 5, 9, 13) • Jennymay Logan – violin (2, 4, 5, 9, 13) • Richard Jones – viola (2, 4, 5, 9, 13) • Laura Moody – cello (2, 4, 5, 9, 13) • Marriane Schofield – double bass (2, 4, 5, 9, 13) • Anthony Cazade – engineering (1–6, 8–13) • Luke Pritchard – engineering (7) • Mason Stuart – engineering (14) • Matt McMenamin – engineering (14) • Samuel Borst – engineering assistance (1–6, 8–13) • Chihara Ferracuti – engineering assistance (7) • Animesh Raval – strings engineering (2, 4, 5, 9) • Matt Colton – mastering • Lulu Lin – cover images • Theo Cottle – photography • Texas Maragh – design, art direction == Charts ==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==