Fontaines D.C.'s fourth studio LP Romance arrived via XL Recordings in August 2024, marking a significant evolution in the Irish band's sound and artistic vision. Departing from their post-punk roots, the album embraces a more expansive cinematic approach–blending elements of Britpop, gothic Americana, and '90s alt-rock to create a richly-textured musical landscape.​ Romance’s innovative approach earned it a nomination for Best Rock Album at the 67th Grammy Awards, and it was named Record of the Year by The Sunday Times. It also topped several year-end lists, including The Independent's Best Albums of 2024. ​

The album was produced by James Ford, who’s best known for his work with Arctic Monkeys, Gorillaz, and Depeche Mode. This collaboration introduced a more polished and layered sound, incorporating lush string arrangements and diverse instrumentation that contrast with the raw energy of the band's earlier work.​ According to frontman Grian Chatten, influences for the album include Japanese manga, Italian cinema, and various global locales.

Romance is also the band’s first LP to receive an immersive mix, courtesy of producer James Ford. Though the Dolby Atmos version of the album has been accessible via streaming services for some time, fans can now purchase it as a hi-res digital download in the IAA shop!

“Romance” sets the template for the immersive mix, foregrounding the rhythm section upfront and spreading the atmospheric keys out towards the side surrounds. Grian Chatten’s lead vocals are placed in the front ‘phantom’ center rather than the center speaker, while additional harmonies emerge from the back of the room. Towards the end, distorted guitars blast from the sides.

"Starburster," inspired by a panic attack, features  bold beats and dynamic vocals. It begins with the mellotron filling up the side and rear surrounds, giving way to the piano and drums from upfront. The droning backing vocals are suspended between the front and side surrounds, engaging the ‘front wide’ channels in a 9.1.4 or 9.1.6 array. The hugging rhythm guitars appear completely isolated in the sides, nicely playing off Chatten's vocal upfront.

"In The Modern World" served as the spiritual genesis of the album, encapsulating the band's new direction. It starts off as just plain stereo upfront, before blossoming into full immersion with the addition of the keyboards and strings from behind. The backing vocals are featured up in the height speakers, along with ‘you-are-there’ ambience.

IAA offers immersive digital downloads in the lossless Dolby TrueHD format. While streaming services offer convenience and access to a vast library of music, they also severely compress the audio to save bandwidth. With lossless TrueHD, the inner detail and sonic clarity is much-better preserved for home listeners.

Romance is the twenty-first entry in an ongoing series of high-resolution digital immersive releases from IAA and Beggars Group, one of the world's largest and most-respected independent label groups. Beggars Group is home to 4AD, Matador Records, Rough Trade, XL Recordings and Young, as well as a growing publishing wing (Beggars Music) and a successful catalog imprint (Beggars Arkive).

Many more new album releases from Beggars Group are already available to stream in Dolby Atmos, including key titles from landmark artists such as Bartees Strange, Future Islands, Jamie xx, and more. Over the coming months, we plan to make more of this fantastic immersive catalog available in hi-res downloadable form through our online shop.

Purchase Romance in the IAA Shop!

About the Author

Immersive Audio Album is a marketplace where immersive and surround sound artists can sell their music.