Romance won The Album Award at the Rolling Stone UK Awards 2024 [8] Carlos O'Connell, Conor Curley, Conor Deegan, Grian Chatten and Tom Coll met while attending music college at BIMM in The Liberties, Dublin.

[3][9] They bonded over a common love of poetry[10] and released two collections of poetry called Vroom, inspired by the Beat poets (Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg) and Winding, inspired by Irish poets Patrick Kavanagh, James Joyce, W. B. Yeats.

[12][13] Before starting Fontaines D.C., Chatten played in local indie rock bands Gun Runner and Thumbprint as drummer and guitarist/singer respectively.

[11] Stereogum, who premiered "Chequeless Reckless" in early 2018, described their sound as "a synthesis between post-punk, garage rock, and a kind of gritty, urbane sense of rhythm and narrative" and named them a 'Band To Watch'.

The title was a homage to Doggerel, working class Irish poetry[27] – 'poetry of the people' – that dates back to 1630 and was popularised by William McGonagall and later Ogden Nash.

[29] The NME said that "Dogrel proves that early-days pinning as punk’s next great hope was perhaps premature – there's far more to Fontaines D.C. than your typical thrashed-out, pissed-off young rebellion.

"[30] The Guardian gave the album a five-star review, hailing it as a "perfect debut", and commending Chatten for embracing the Dublin accent.

[31] The Times said that "Shouty post-punk bands are making a surprise comeback in 2019, with this brutal but articulate Irish bunch emerging as one of the most captivating.

Capturing the feeling of living in Dublin as it balances historical weight with financial upheaval, the singer Grian Chattan makes his statement of intent by announcing in a monotone rant on the opener, Big: “Dublin in the rain is mine, a pregnant city with a Catholic mind.

[21][33][11] They played nine sets at SXSW 2019 over the course of five days, selling out venues, and count Gilla Band as a major influence.

In January 2020, the band headlined the Rockaway Beach Festival - notable as being one of the only live events to happen in the UK that year.

[44] They also advance-released the singles "I Love You", "Skinty Fia" and "Roman Holiday" from the album, with one described by Chatten as "the first overtly political song we’ve written.

[49] In December 2023, the band announced a collaborative EP with Massive Attack and Young Fathers titled Ceasefire to raise money for Doctors Without Borders in Gaza.

2 in the UK, where it doubled the first-week sales of Skinty Fia, as well as in Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands, while reaching the top 10 in a total of 12 European countries.

"[54] The band received two nominations at the 2025 Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album for Romance and Best Alternative Music Performance for "Starburster".

[55] On February 21, 2025, the band released a stand-alone single, "It's Amazing to Be Young", which was recorded during the same sessions as Romance, but left off the album to keep it "concise".

[56] Regarding the track, bass guitarist Conor Deegan III noted: "I’m glad it got to see the light of day, because it a special song to us.

Sometimes optimism feels like a necessary delusion, but with the birth of a new child we were introduced to a really pure and deep beauty and hope that can’t be debated away by anyone jaded or even by ourselves.

"[56] The single will be released on a limited edition "neon yellow" vinyl on April 25, 2025, with a second unreleased track, "Before You I Just Forget", written by guitarist Conor Curley.