LONDON – Post-punk band Fontaines D.C. has announced that their new album, ‘Romance,’ set to release on August 23, will be bookended by the track ‘Favourite.’ The band, consisting of Grian Chatten, Tom Coll, Conor Curley, Conor Deegan III, and Carlos O’Connell, has also shared a nostalgic music video for the song, featuring footage of the members from their childhoods.
In a statement, bassist Conor Deegan III reflected on the video’s sentimental value. “This video is a reminiscing of the past; of each other’s childhoods we didn’t know,” he said. “To see people we know on an intimate level as adults in the tender ages of childhood, we explore where we came from, and who on some level, still are. I see a lot of familiar faces being pulled, and the antics these lads are undertaking in their videos are so disarming and vulnerable to see.”
Deegan added, “I am at times reminded of boyish mannerisms that they’ve grown out of in the time I’ve known them – and some that they haven’t. I feel their souls there. I would like this video to serve as a way of honouring our friendships, and moving from that, the relationships we hold dear. Our mothers, fathers, siblings, aunties and uncles, grandmothers and grandfathers. Those who we still have, and those we have sadly lost. We haven’t lost that connection to each other, and are not afraid to come of age again, holding on to romance in a sometimes trying world.”
Frontman Grian Chatten provided further insight into the album, which was announced last month along with the release of their first single, ‘Starbuster.’ Chatten revealed that ‘Romance’ was inspired by Katsuhiro Ôtomo’s anime ‘Akira,’ describing the album as having “this never-ending sound to it, a continuous cycle from euphoria to sadness, two worlds spinning forever.”
He elaborated, “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. 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.”
As anticipation builds for the release of ‘Romance,’ the heartfelt themes and personal reflections shared by Fontaines D.C. promise an album that delves deeply into the essence of human connections and the resilience of romance in challenging times.
