Fontaines DC’s story was forged on the streets of Dublin a decade ago, having met in 2014 while students at the city’s BIMM music institute. The band – made up of Grian Chatten on vocals, Carlos O’Connell and Conor Curley on guitars, Conor Deegan III (or Deego) on bass, and Tom Coll on drums – officially marked their arrival onto the post-punk scene with their 2019 album Dogrel. Since then, they’ve gained a Brit award, Grammy and Mercury prize nominations and a place at the top of the UK charts , putting them in the running for best band in the world title at a time when it’s increasingly challenging for guitar music to cut through.

Now based in London, the band’s evolution from punk sensibilities to grungier breaks, dystopian electronica, hip hop percussion and shoegaze-inspired elements has culminated in their most expansive sound yet with the arrival of fourth studio album, Romance. A refreshed visual identity also marks a huge shift from their early DIY aesthetic. From the beginning, their visuals have largely been orchestrated by O’Connell, although he admits this was initially through necessity rather than design. “I was the only one who could use Photoshop in the early days so I was doing all the posters and the graphic design,” he tells CR.