The post-punk powerhouse group Fontaines D.C. is back with an unnerving and engrossing new music video for “Starburster,” the first single off their just-announced new record ROMANCE. Directed by Aube Perrie using a mix of gorgeously muted film cinematography with high-contrast digital, the music video perfectly captures the anxious and hypnotic power of the song, tracking the band on a bizarre journey involving guns, lots of windmills, a knight in shining armor, and some frightening body horror. In a press release, the group shared that the song stems from frontman Grian Chatten experiencing a panic attack in London.
With this thrilling new announcement, bassist Connor Deegan reflected on the band’s trajectory, stating: “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 (Mercury Prize-nominated debut) Dogrel. The second album (the GRAMMY-nominated 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.”
Fans can expect a wide array of new influences, including Shygirl, Sega Bodega, and a range of rappers (Outkast, Mos Def, A$AP Ferg). The album started taking shape during the band’s massive U.S./Mexico tour alongside Arctic Monkeys. O’Connell added “This record is about deciding what’s fantasy – the tangible world, or where you go in your mind. What represents reality more?” ROMANCE also marks the band’s first record to be released by XL Recordings and first with producer James Ford, who previously worked with Depeche Mode, Blur, and Arctic Monkeys. ROMANCE drops on August 23rd. Expect a world tour starting this summer – with details to be announced soon.