Songfacts®:

• "Romance," the title track of Fontaines D.C.'s fourth album, kicks things off with a haunting, electric intensity that grabs you by the collar and doesn't let go. It's a dark, moody opener that sets the tone for the rest of the record, leaning hard into brooding guitars, evocative vocals, and a deep exploration of love's complicated nature. It's a shot at finding meaning in a world that feels more disconnected than ever.
  
  "I've always been interested in the argument, or the perspective, of seeing delusion and romance as one and the same," frontman Grian Chatten told Billboard. "And I think the place of romance that I spoke about, in the title track, it's that place, it's that refuge. And I think there's a denial, maybe, involved. You're dressing your life up in this romantic way. And I think there's a line to blur between madness and this denial, which is necessary in order to get on. The world is absolutely f--ked, and it's difficult to know which way to turn."
• Maybe romance is a place
  For me and you
  
  Chatten digs into the idea that romance isn't just an emotion but a destination: complex and three-dimensional, filled with nooks and crannies to explore or get lost in.
  
  "The idea of romance as a place comes from the idea of a simulation," Chatten explained to NME. "I'm thinking of a zoo with a glass wall, the spectators and the spectacle, the penguins on one side and the people on the other, manufactured realities committed to the fantasies of either one. We've all seen the f---ing Matrix, so I'm not saying anything particularly new here, but it's interesting to decide to know what your reality is.
  
  "You can either be at odds with it and carry that search for truth, or you can relax into that warm bath of madness and delusion, which is what a functioning society does."
• "Romance" was born during a late-night studio session. "It just fell out of us," drummer Tom Coll told Apple Music. "Right away, we knew: that's the first track on the album. It felt like a palate cleanser, the opening scene. Every record we've done has had that one track that just screams, 'This is our opening gambit.'"
• Fontaines debuted the brooding track live at a special show in Brooklyn on May 9, 2024, before using it to anchor their European festival sets the following month, often kicking off the night.
• Romance marks a significant evolution in the band's sound and thematic focus, moving away from their Irish roots to grapple with bigger ideas like love, sentimentality, and the search for freedom.
  
  "We've always had this sense of idealism and romance," said guitarist Conor Curley. "Each album gets further away from observing that through the lens of Ireland, as directly as Dogrel. The second album is about that detachment, and the third is about Irishness dislocated in the diaspora. Now we look to where and what else there is to be romantic about."
• Fontaines were lent a guitar by Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner, which found its way onto Romance. Carlos O'Connell shared with Guitarist that it became their go-to instrument for the heavier, more intense sounds on the album. "Both Conor [Curley] and I used it for the real chuggy parts - it was just the best guitar for that," O'Connell explained.
• When asked by Mojo magazine why Fontaines D.C. titled their album Romance, Grian Chatten revealed a meaningful inspiration. He recalled reading a report about humanity reaching a climate change tipping point and the subsequent act of "forgetting" it - whether consciously or not. Chatten observed that this denial enables people "to laugh, to have fun and fall in love and escape through those means."
  
  However, he stressed that the album's title isn't purely optimistic. Instead, Romance captures a more unsettling reality: the growing "desensitized disconnect" in modern life. This tension, between fleeting joy and deep unease, defines the atmosphere of the album.
• Romance garnered positive reviews from the critics. It landed on numerous year-end lists, placing #1 on both The Independent and Time Out's Best Albums of 2024. It also won the Album Award at the Rolling Stone UK Awards 2024.