I had struggled to love Fontaines DC. Whilst I recognised their talent, I had never taken to the songwriting, especially on ‘Skinty Fia’ which I viewed as decidedly one-note. I had (perhaps unfairly) placed them in a camp alongside other landfill indie company such as Parquet Courts, who hide behind the mere premise of being a punk/post-punk band to disguise a complete lack of ideas. There’s an unfortunate habit in the UK scene for bands to use genre as an excuse to not make an effort.

Luckily, they have proved me completely wrong with ‘Romance’, an 80s-inspired dystopian masterpiece that benefits from far more sophisticated songwriting, and excellent production that really adds credence to this new set of tunes.

It’s fantastic to hear Fontaines really explore more expressive soundscapes and textures, with shades of The Cure, Depeche Mode and the Cocteau Twins making appearances across the record. The titular track sounds like a dark concoction from ‘Ok Computer’-era Radiohead, with Grain Chattens’ soft tenor exploring a melancholy creepiness he had hitherto neglected.

Whether it’s the presence of Artic Monkeys veteran producer James Ford, a growing musical depth that often comes as bands mature, or simply a desire to not make the same album a fourth time, they have truly outdone themselves.

Lead single ‘Here’s The Thing’ is a crushing, post-punk titan of a track, with chunky bass, muscular distorted guitar riffs and an ear-worm chorus hook reminiscent of the theme song to X-Men: The Animated Series. It totally works however; the song is at once fresh and strangely familiar. ‘Sundowner’ is an expanisive and hazy shoegaze masterpiece, whose reverb-drenched guitars, echoing drums and mellotron recall an eerie late night drive, all topped off with a fantastic hook. ‘Death Kink’ is a short and impassioned post-punk rocker, with insistent vocals and squiggly lead guitar.

Occasionally however, the band may be wearing their influences a bit too much on their sleeve. Second track ‘Starburster’ features a four-to-the-floor drum groove and vocal melody super reminiscent of Underworld’s classic ‘Born Slippy (Nuxx)’. Bittersweet album closer ‘Favourite’ flirts a little too closely with the guitar riff from the Cure’s ‘Just Like Heaven’.

But none of these more obvious inspirations are to the albums detriment, as it all coalesces into what is undoubtedly a triumph. This album is a triple threat of fantastic songwriting, excellent production and great concept. It truly feels like the band have found their voice, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.

Fontaines DC - ‘Romance’

rE-LISTEN: Jenevive - ‘Division’

Childish Gambino - ‘Bando Stone and The New World’