Fontaines D.C. Return With "Starburster"

On “Starburster”, Fontaines D.C. turns in a mostly successful blend of the experimentation present on Skinty Fia with the exuberance of their early work.

Well, it is official! After heavy rumoring of new material, Fontaines D.C. have released the first single off their upcoming album. Set to release on August 23, Romance will serve as the band’s first release on XL Recordings. As longtime members of the Partisan Records roster, the jump to XL Recordings comes along with new personnel for the band as well. Romance (and its single, “Starburster”) was produced by James Ford (Blur, Arctic Monkeys), who did a great job at helping Fontaines D.C. capture precisely where the band is on record. Judging by “Starburster”, we predict Romance to be a build on some of the more abstract concepts brought forth on 2022’s Skinty Fia. Referencing back to our original review of Skinty Fia, it seems as if Fontaines D.C. are gearing up to deliver us the follow-up record that we wanted:

“[Skinty Fia] certainly has its highlights along with its missteps, which leaves me hoping that Fontaines can find a perfect balance between the new ideas presented on Skinty Fia and their previous work down the line.”

Though only one track, “Starburster” is a great early look into what our original thoughts could/likely will sound like.

While the driving post-punk instrumentals that defined 2019’s Dogrel and 2020’s A Hero’s Death have morphed into a Primal Scream-esque palette for “Starburster”, the same outward facing confidence that sold those records is back on “Starburster”. Not to say that Skinty Fia did not have its moments of defiance and confidence, but it was certainly the band’s most introspective release to date. On “Starburster”, the swagger that frontman Grian Chatten brought to his debut solo album (2023’s Chaos For The Fly, our favorite album of its respective release year) has certainly been rekindled on this track. Is Grian’s lyrical approach to “Starburster” as cinematic as anything on Skinty Fia or Chaos For The Fly? No. That said, it meshes perfectly with the semi-frantic instrumental of the tune. 

If anything, “Starburster” has accomplished its job at getting us excited for another Fontaines D.C. record. We look forward to covering any future singles and diving into another chapter of the band’s story.