The Irish post-punk group Fontaines D.C. have announced their upcoming album Romance with the video for the lead single “Starburster.” In a press release, the band shared that the song stems from frontman Grian Chatten experiencing a panic attack in London.
Chattan says he found inspiration for the new album in the romantic undertones of the dystopian anime Akira. “I’m fascinated by that – falling in love at the end of the world. The album is about protecting that tiny flame. The bigger armageddon looms, the more precious it becomes.” He added, “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.”
Reflecting on the band’s trajectory, bassist Connor Deegan stated, “We’ve always had this sense of idealism and romance. Each album gets further away from observing that through the lens of Ireland, as directly as (Mercury Prize-nominated debut) Dogrel. The second album (the GRAMMY-nominated A Hero’s Death) is about that detachment, and the third (Skinty Fia) is about Irishness dislocated in the diaspora. Now we look to where and what else there is to be romantic about."
Romance will hit record store shelves on August 23rd via XL Recordings.
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