Fontaines D.C. have announced the arrival of their fourth studio album, Romance, due out on August 23 via XL Recordings.
Alongside the news, the Irish post-punks have unveiled the album's explosive first single, Starburster.
Speaking of the forthcoming project's theme, bassist Conor Deegan says, “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 Dogrel.
"The second album (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.”
Turning to Katsuhiro Ôtomo’s anime Akira for inspiration, vocalist Grian Chatten says: “I’m fascinated by that - falling in love at the end of the world,” he says. “The album is about protecting that tiny flame. The bigger Armageddon looms, the more precious it becomes".
Guitarist Carlos O'Connell adds: “This record is about deciding what’s fantasy – the tangible world, or where you go in your mind. What represents reality more? That feels almost spiritual for us.”
Watch the video for Starburster below:
Later this year, Fontaines D.C. will hit the road to promote the new album, with tour stops including festivals such as Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds.
Romance tracklist:
1. Romance
2. Starburster
3. Here’s The Thing
4. Desire
5. In The Modern World
6. Bug
7. Motorcycle Boy
8. Sundowner
9. Horseness is the Whatness
10. Death Kink
11. Favourite
