Fontaines D.C. return with new addictive single “Starburster”

Fontaines D.C. | photo by Theo Cottle

After a week of teasing new material, Fontaines D.C. finally released a new single this Wednesday. “Starburster,” the lead single from their newly announced album, Romance, takes the band’s ever-evolving sound to a new level, pushing the Irish quintet into exciting territory.

Evolution and reinvention are not something the band shies away from. In fact, each release has brought with it a new approach, as bassist Connor Deegan explains in a press release, “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.”

Another layer to the new single can be found in lead singer Grian Chatten’s gasps and anxious stream-of-conscious lyrics: “I wanna bite the phone, / I wanna bleed the tone / I wanna see you alone, alone, alone-lone / I wanna strait the shark and find me somewhere to park / Like the light when it’s dark, it’s dark, it’s dark-dark.” While the cadence of the lyrics reminds me of spoken poetry – perhaps a reflection of the band’s interest in poetry – the gasps reflect Chatten’s inspiration for the song: a panic attack that he experienced in London.

Indeed, the entire track has an intensity that borderlines on panic – one that gives way to a reprieve, a calming string-backed bridge with Chattens’ raps being replaced with soft vocals. Before too long, however, the sweeping guitar and hip-hop drum beat return along with Chatten’s gasps, leaving the listener on edge.

The accompanying music video is even more bizarre, with body horror, neon green tracksuits, elaborate disguises, and windmills. Lots of windmills. (A call-back to the “I Don’t Belong” music video?) In addition to the “Starburster” music video, the band uploaded a teaser video for the album, which mimics the iconic Shining elevator shot, except instead of blood rushing from the doors, it’s lime green slime. Neon green and pink seem to be the theme for this album, and I am so here for it. “We say things on this record we’ve wanted to say for a long time,” said Chatten about Romance. “I never feel like it’s over, but it’s nice to feel lighter.” Perhaps we can all take a collective breath on August 23rd, when the new album releases.

To top it off, the band announced a UK + Ireland yesterday, you can find all details here. Fingers crossed that there’s a world tour coming.

The unsettling music video for “Starburster,” directed by Aube Perrie.

The Romance teaser video – loving the visuals for this album so far.

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