For their 4th album in 6 years, Fontaines D.C. enlisted arguably the producer of the year in James Ford. Several of the tunes take on a gothic feel including the title track where singer Grian Chatten comes on like a louche vampire as he sings that we’re “into the darkness again”. “Desire” adds strings on a track where “they drown their wishes in the fountain like their fathers before”.
“In the Modern World” is mostly just a guitar with strings that adds a stellar chorus, sometimes it’s the quieter songs that grab the attention on one of the album’s highlights. On the flip side, the listener doesn’t know what they are in for as the elegant piano tickling of “Starburster” gets pushed to the background when the drum kick of Tom Coll takes centre stage and Chatten spits out rhymes with an MC’s energy on one of the songs of the year. As the fog starts to lift, second single “Favourite” closes out the album on a happier/poppier track. The band planned this all along, take the listener through a dark journey and ending in the light.
Romance sees the Irish lads incorporate several different styles as they continue to be one of the hardest working bands around. Leaving room for songs like “Bug” which is a more straightforward rock song about being in a relationship that easily mixes in with their darker, more complicated songs. Fontaines D.C.’s debut album Dogrel got rock fans of all ages excited and it’s thrilling to see the band continue to impress four albums later on a standout album.
8.5/10
The Light Appears 