As they approach the release of their hotly-anticipated fourth album, ROMANCE on Friday (23rd August via XL Recordings), Fontaines D.C. have released “In The Modern World”, the fourth song to be revealed from the record. Lead singer Grian Chatten wrote the album’s central track during an “inexplicable” 10-day stint alone in Los Angeles in early 2023 as he decompressed from touring. It is, he says, probably his favourite track. The lush, languorous Los Angeles of Lana Del Rey is present, as is the decaying glamour of old Hollywood soundtracks and films like the Gloria Swanson-starring Sunset Boulevard. It is Fontaines D.C. at their most cinematic, built around the image of a fictional throuple together amid armageddon, embracing a fantastical world fuelled by denial and romance.
The accompanying music video sees the band again collaborating with lauded filmmaker Luna Carmoon (Hoard, Shagbands, Nosebleed), who previously shot the video for ROMANCE’s “Here’s The Thing”. Starring actor Ewan Mitchell, Carmoon’s equally cinematic video places “In The Modern World” into the brutal, passionate and fetishistic theatre of a Car Jitsu bout.
In April, Fontaines D.C. released the bombastic first track from the new album, “Starburster” to international acclaim, with the song declared the best of 2024 so far by Rolling Stone and Consequence. It was released alongside the much-talked about music video from Aube Perrie, a conceptual world that continues to unfold. The follow-up single and shimmering finalé “Favourite” has grown into a firm fan favourite following its debut outing at the band’s sold-out Brooklyn Warsaw show in April and during the electrifying headline show at Glastonbury’s Park Stage. Together with recent single “Here’s The Thing” and now “In The Modern World”, fans get a glimpse into the expansive, experimental record to come.
ROMANCE is Fontaines D.C.s most ambitious record yet, its 11 tracks constellating ideas that have been percolating among Grian Chatten (vocals), Carlos O’Connell (guitar), Conor Curley (guitar), Conor Deegan (bass), and Tom Coll (drums) since they released Skinty Fia in 2022. The sonic evolution of the band, who bared their teeth in early records with antagonistic punk sensibilities, is an ascent into grungier breaks, dystopian electronica, hip-hop percussion, and dreamy Slowdive-esque textures that may surprise fans. The shoegaze touchpoints first pressed on Skinty Fia unfold on ROMANCE like a purpling bruise. Working with producer James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Blur), the band left behind any “retro aesthetic”, as Chatten says “we say things on this record we’ve wanted to say for a long time. I never feel like it's over, but it’s nice to feel lighter.”
Recently, Fontaines D.C. announced their biggest ever headline show, a 45,000 capacity event at London’s Finsbury Park on 5th July that will feature a specially curated line-up of friends and collaborators including Belfast hip hop trio Kneecap and Australian rock band Amyl and the Sniffers (with more to be announced). More immediately, they will play an intimate London show at London’s Electric Ballroom this Thursday (22nd August) to celebrate the release of the album. The show precedes an extensive world tour that will see the GRAMMY-nominated and BRIT Award-winning Irish band travel to Europe and North America throughout 2024 to perform multiple sold-out shows (including two nights at London’s 10,000-capacity Alexandra Palace in November).
Buy tickets below.
