{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}} {{Use British English|date=January 2017}} {{Infobox album | name = Romance Is Boring | type = studio | artist = Los Campesinos! | cover = Los Campesinos! - Romance Is Boring.jpg | alt = A person's legs dangling from a mattress, with their left leg bleeding. | released = 26 January 2010 | recorded = February–June 2009 | studio = * Carriage House, Stamford, Connecticut * Two Sticks Audio, Seattle | genre = {{hlist|Indie rock|noise pop|emo}} | length = 48:22 | label = {{hlist|Wichita|Arts & Crafts}} | producer = John Goodmanson | prev_title = We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed | prev_year = 2008 | next_title = All's Well That Ends | next_year = 2010 | misc = {{Singles | name = Romance Is Boring | type = album | single1 = There Are Listed Buildings | single1date = 2 November 2009 | single2 = Romance Is Boring | single2date = 15 February 2010 }} }} '''''Romance Is Boring''''' is the third studio album by Welsh indie pop band Los Campesinos!, released on 26 January 2010 via Wichita and Arts & Crafts. Produced by John Goodmanson, the album's maximalist production, unconventional structure and particularly demoralising themes marked a departure from the band's previous twee pop sound.
Following the release of their first two studio albums in 2008, Los Campesinos! began an extensive touring circuit across North America as their following grew. They recorded ''Romance Is Boring'' in Connecticut and Seattle in early 2009, experimenting with brass instruments for the first time to create a complex soundscape. Frontman Gareth Paisey describes the album as lyrically focusing on "the death and decay of the human body, sex, lost love, mental breakdown, football and, ultimately, that there probably isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Paisey |first=Gareth |date=14 February 2020 |title=Los Campesinos! take us through 'Romance Is Boring' |url=https://diymag.com/feature/los-campesinos-romance-is-boring-track-by-track |access-date=28 September 2023 |website=DIY |language=en}}</ref>
''Romance Is Boring'' was preceded by the promotional singles "The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future" in September 2009, and "There Are Listed Buildings" in November. Upon release in January 2010, the record peaked at number 92 on the UK Albums Chart and received widespread critical acclaim, appearing on the annual lists of music publications including ''DIY'' and ''The Line of Best Fit''. Four of its tracks would later be reworked on the band's ''All's Well That Ends'' EP (2010). ''Romance Is Boring'' remains one of the most highly regarded albums in the band's catalogue.
== Background == Los Campesinos! released both their first studio albums, ''Hold on Now, Youngster...'' and ''We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed,'' in 2008, and "started amassing a devout fanbase".<ref name="Hakimian2020">{{Cite web |last=Hakimian |first=Rob |date=25 February 2020 |title=Revisiting Los Campesinos' Romance is Boring ten years on |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/revisiting-los-campesinos-romance-is-boring-ten-year-later |access-date=19 June 2023 |website=The Line of Best Fit |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2009, they performed a 21-show tour across North America alongside punk band Titus Adronicus,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Phillips |first=Amy |date=11 November 2008 |title=Los Campesinos! and Titus Andronicus to Tour Together |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/33993-los-campesinos-and-titus-andronicus-to-tour-together/ |access-date=28 September 2023 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> and began to play at bigger venues including at the music festivals Lollapalooza and Coachella in the same year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marchese |first=David |date=8 April 2010 |title=Breaking Out: Los Campesinos! |url=https://www.spin.com/2010/04/breaking-out-los-campesinos/ |access-date=26 September 2023 |website=Spin}}</ref>
After recording of ''Romance Is Boring'' had finished, founding keyboardist Aleksandra Berditchevskaia announced she would be amicably leaving the band in August 2009 to continue her studies.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 June 2009 |title=Los Campesinos! Girl Nicks Off |url=https://thequietus.com/articles/01772-los-campesinos-split-as-aleksandra-quits |access-date=19 June 2023 |website=The Quietus |language=en-us}}</ref> She was replaced by Kim Paisey, the sister of frontman Gareth, in September.<ref name=":2" />
== Composition ==
=== Music and production === ''Romance Is Boring'' was produced by John Goodmanson, who previously worked with the band on ''We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed.'' The album was recorded in the United States from January to June 2009 in two studios: Carriage House in Stamford, Connecticut, and Two Sticks Audio in Seattle, Washington.<ref name="Hakimian2020" /> It was mixed at Monnow Valley in Rockfield, Wales.<ref name="EQmag">{{cite web |date=26 October 2009 |title=Los Campesinos! on Recording Romance Is Boring |url=http://www.eqmag.com/article/los-campesinos-/January-2010/106671 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101122164245/http://eqmag.com/article/los-campesinos-/January-2010/106671 |archivedate=22 November 2010 |accessdate=17 September 2023 |website=EQ Magazine |publisher=}}</ref>[[File:Harriet (Los Campesinos!) - 2010.jpg|thumb|260x260px|Band violinist Harriet Coleman contributed string arrangements, adding to the album's maximalist sound.]]
Lead guitarist Tom Bromley said the creative process for ''Romance Is Boring'' would often begin with him recording a demo and sending it to the six other members– specifically, frontman Gareth Paisey to create vocal ideas, and violinist Harriet Coleman to tinker with string arrangements.<ref name="EQmag" /> It is the first album by Los Campesinos! to feature brass instruments.
''Romance Is Boring'' showcases a significant expansion in the band's sound compared to their previous releases. A maximalist album, it is characterised by "densely-knotted and gnashing layers of instrumentation".<ref name="Hakimian2020" /> It also remains their longest work, with the track listing split into three distinctive acts.<ref name="Hakimian2020" /> Going into production, Gareth Paisey said it was the first time the band had attempted to create a cohesive, full album with running musical and lyrical themes.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Lawrenson |first=James |date=26 November 2009 |title=2010 Preview: 'Death and football' Los Campesinos! new record |url=http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4138510-2010-preview--death-and-football-los-campesinos-new-record |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926093923/https://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4138510-2010-preview--death-and-football-los-campesinos-new-record |archive-date=26 September 2023 |access-date=26 September 2023 |website=Drowned in Sound |language=en}}</ref> {{Block quote|text=The purpose was to have verses develop and be different each time and to give the songs as a whole a number of dimensions that will reveal themselves slowly through repeated listens.|author=Tom Bromley<ref name="EQmag" />}}
Jordan Sargent of ''PopMatters'' said the album "represents how sonic exploration can actually go right".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sargent |first=Jordan |date=25 January 2010 |title=Los Campesinos!: Romance Is Boring |url=https://www.popmatters.com/119499-los-campesinos-romance-is-boring-2496154817.html |access-date=19 June 2023 |website=PopMatters |language=en-US}}</ref> Writing for ''NME'', Lisa Wright said the album is "incredibly structurally cohesive" and "blows anything they’ve previously released out of the water in terms of textural intricacy, technical prowess and general experimentation".<ref name="NMEReview" /> Rob Hakimian of ''The Line of Best Fit'' continued, that despite the "when the verses are in-your-face and unhospitable, the songs glide into beautifully anthemic choruses, where the melodies shine clear and bright".<ref name="Hakimian2020" />
When speaking of his influences for the album, Bromley cited Pavement, Guided by Voices, Blur and Modest Mouse.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hughes |first=Rich |date=27 January 2010 |title=The 12 Records that Influenced Romance Is Boring by Los Campesinos! |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/los-campesinos-the-12-records-that-influenced-romance-is-boring-24168 |access-date=29 September 2023 |website=The Line of Best Fit}}</ref> The album features guest appearances from Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu, Zac Pennington of Parenthetical Girls, and Jherek Bischoff of the Dead Science.<ref name="EQmag" />
=== Lyricism === thumb|220x220px|The album's lyrics are written from the perspective of frontman Gareth Paisey. When writing ''Romance Is Boring'', Paisey began by writing in prose before turning his words into songs. He wrote several songs, like the title track, at the last minute while the band was recording.<ref name="Hakimian2020" /> The album's central themes include death, football, beer and sex. While the band's first two records dabbled with these concepts, Paisey reflected: "it’s the sex that really stands out from this collection of songs."<ref name="Hakimian2020" />
As the narrator of each song, Paisey represents himself as an insecure, sexually frustrated and bitter man.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Sawdey |first=Evan |date=16 March 2020 |title=Los Campesinos! 'Romance Is Boring' Holds Up a Decade Later |url=https://www.popmatters.com/los-campesinos-romance-is-boring-2645495789.html |access-date=28 September 2023 |website=PopMatters |language=en-US}}</ref> Writing for ''PopMatters,'' Evan Sawdey said that tracks occasionally detail "the build-up and deflation of one man’s fragile ego".<ref name=":1" /> In interviews, Paisey admitted the joke was always on himself: "For the most part I’ve been the butt of the joke. I can’t think of many examples where it’s been the person that I’ve been singing about that has come out of the situation looking worse than me."<ref name="Hakimian2020" />
The band cite author BS Johnson as one of their influences: the title of "Too Many Flesh Suppers", and lyrics from "Coda: A Burn Scar in the Shape of the Sooner State" and the title track are taken from a title of a poem, and from lines from his poem See the Old Lady Decently and novel Trawl (then Paisey's favourite novel) respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/35415-los-campesinos-talk-dark-new-album/|title=Los Campesinos! Talk "Dark" New Album|work=Pitchfork|date=27 May 2009|access-date=30 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://diymag.com/feature/los-campesinos-romance-is-boring-track-by-track|title=Los Campesinos! take us through Romance is Boring, Track by Track|date=14 February 2020|access-date=30 January 2024|work=DIYMag}}</ref>
== Release and promotion == A promotional single for the album, "The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future", was released on 9 September 2009.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Dombal |first=Ryan |date=23 September 2009 |title=Los Campesinos! Recruit New Member |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/36565-los-campesinos-recruit-new-member/ |access-date=27 September 2023 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> A "slow-building, atmospherically-arranged epic about death", the track marked a sonic departure from their previous work.<ref name="Hakimian2020" /> It was named a Best New Track on ''Pitchfork'', with critic Ryan Dombal calling the song "the work of a band, not a bunch of enthusiastic devotees".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dombal |first=Ryan |date=20 September 2009 |title=Los Campesinos!: 'The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future' |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/11506-los-campesinos-the-sea-is-a-good-place-to-think-of-the-future/ |access-date=19 June 2023 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> The lead single, "There Are Listed Buildings", was issued on 2 November 2009,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dombal |first=Ryan |date=2 October 2009 |title=Listen: New Los Campesinos! Single |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/36682-listen-new-los-campesinos-single/ |access-date=27 September 2023 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> when it was announced the band's third studio album, ''Romance Is Boring'', would release on 1 February 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fullerton |first=Jamie |date=26 October 2009 |title=Los Campesinos! announce new album title and tracklisting |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/los-campesinos-27-1315007 |access-date=19 June 2023 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref> Its cover art was designed by Cari Ann Wayman.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dombal |first=Ryan |date=24 November 2009 |title=Los Campesinos! Reveal Bloody LP Art |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/37211-los-campesinos-reveal-bloody-lp-art/ |access-date=26 September 2023 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> Three months before its official release, in December, the full album was leaked online.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clarke |first=Helen |date=25 February 2010 |title=Los Campesinos! @ Koko, London |url=https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/live/los-campesinos-koko-london |url-access=subscription |access-date=29 May 2024 |website=MusicOMH}}</ref> Paisey wrote a statement on the band's blog talking of his disappointment and anger at the fact, saying: "It really feels like ripping something out of my chest".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Celina |date=19 February 2010 |title=Carry On Campesinos |url=https://www.hotpress.com/music/carry-on-campesinos-6243043 |access-date=29 May 2024 |website=Hot Press}}</ref>
The album's title track was released as a 7" single on 15 February 2010. It was backed with "Too Many Flesh Suppers", an unreleased song Paisey described as "the biggest departure from anything [the band had] done before" and the "darkest thing [they had] ever recorded, sonically and lyrically."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dombal |first=Ryan |date=27 May 2009 |title=Los Campesinos! Talk 'Dark' New Album |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/35415-los-campesinos-talk-dark-new-album/ |access-date=26 September 2023 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> The B-side was later released as a free download on the band's blog on 30 November 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fitzmaurice |first=Larry |date=30 November 2010 |title='Too Many Flesh Suppers' |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/11088-too-many-flesh-suppers/ |access-date=20 June 2023 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>
From April 2010, the band embarked on a North American tour supporting the album. The following month, they played at several festivals across the United Kingdom,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dombal |first=Ryan |date=20 April 2010 |title=Los Campesinos! Re-Route North American Tour Due to Volcano |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/38558-los-campesinos-re-route-north-american-tour-due-to-volcano/ |access-date=27 September 2023 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> before performing a second circuit across the United States in October.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dombal |first=Ryan |date=24 August 2010 |title=Los Campesinos! Announce Fall Tour |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/39851-los-campesinos-announce-fall-tour/ |access-date=27 September 2023 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> While on tour, Paisey suffered from a mild concussion and sprained wrist after he leaped from the stage at the Summer Sundae.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Michaels |first=Sean |date=17 August 2010 |title=Los Campesinos! singer injured in stage dive |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/aug/17/los-campesinos-singer-injured |access-date=27 September 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
In July 2010, the band released ''All's Well That Ends'', an extended play featuring reworked, acoustic versions of four songs from ''Romance Is Boring''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Breihan |first=Tom |date=2010-07-13 |title=New Release: Los Campesinos!: All's Well That Ends EP |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/39446-new-release-los-campesinos-alls-well-that-ends-ep/ |access-date=2022-08-25 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== 2020 reissue === In February 2020, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of ''Romance Is Boring'', Los Campesinos! digitally released a remastered edition of the album featuring "Too Many Flesh Suppers" as a bonus track.<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 February 2020 |title=Romance Is Boring (Remastered), by Los Campesinos! |url=https://loscampesinos.bandcamp.com/album/romance-is-boring-remastered |access-date=27 September 2023 |publisher=Bandcamp |language=en}}</ref> The band also released an 86-page zine detailing the album's writing, recording and release.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gwee |first=Karen |date=26 September 2019 |title=Los Campesinos! to mark 'Romance Is Boring' 10th anniversary with reissue and London shows |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/los-campesinos-romance-is-boring-10th-anniversary-reissue-london-shows-2551397 |access-date=19 June 2023 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref> Further, the band played two shows over Valentine's Day at the Islington Assembly Hall in London, where they performed the entire album in full.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 September 2019 |title=Los Campesinos! Announce Romance Is Boring 10th Anniversary Reissue + Two London Shows |url=https://www.wichita-recordings.com/posts/los-campesinos-announce-romance-is-boring-10th-anniversary-reissue-two-london-shows |access-date=19 June 2023 |publisher=Wichita Recordings}}</ref> ==Critical reception== {{Album ratings | ADM = 7.1/10<ref name="adm">{{Cite web |title=''Romance Is Boring'' by Los Campesinos! reviews |url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/1489/Los-Campesinos-Romance-Is-Boring.aspx |access-date=2026-03-10 |website= |publisher=AnyDecentMusic?}}</ref> | MC = 75/100<ref name="MC">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/romance-is-boring/los-campesinos!|title=Los Campesinos!:Romance Is Boring (2010):Reviews|work=Metacritic|date=26 January 2010 |accessdate=22 June 2023}}</ref> | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1Score = {{rating|2.5|5}}<ref name="AllMusicReview">{{cite web |last1=Sendra |first1=Tim |title=Romance Is Boring Review by Tim Sendra |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/romance-is-boring-mw0001956351 |website=AllMusic |access-date=22 June 2023}}</ref> | rev2 = ''Clash'' | rev2Score = 8/10<ref name="ClashReview">{{cite web |last1=Hollowday |first1=Anne |title=Los Campesinos! – Romance Is Boring |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/los-campesinos-romance-is-boring/ |website=Clash |date=22 January 2010 |access-date=22 June 2023}}</ref> | rev3 = ''Consequence of Sound'' | rev3Score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="ConsequenceReview">{{cite web |last1=Cosores |first1=Philip |title=Album Review: Los Campesinos! – Romance Is Boring |url=https://consequence.net/2010/02/album-review-los-campesinos-romance-is-boring/ |website=Consequence |access-date=22 June 2023 |date=1 February 2010}}</ref> | rev4 = ''DIY'' | rev4score = {{rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="DIYReview">{{cite web |last1=O'Malley |first1=Gareth |title=Los Campesinos! - Romance Is Boring |url=https://diymag.com/review/album/los-campesinos-romance-is-boring |website=DIY |date=26 January 2010 |access-date=19 June 2023}}</ref> | rev5 = ''Drowned in Sound'' | rev5Score = 8/10<ref name="DrownedReview">{{cite web |last1=Jay-Catling |first1=Simon |title=Los Campesinos! – Romance is Boring |url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/15049/reviews/4138895 |website=Drowned In Sound |access-date=22 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100127022949/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/15049/reviews/4138895 |archive-date=27 January 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> | rev6 = ''NME'' | rev6Score = 8/10<ref name="NMEReview">{{cite web |last1=Mackay |first1=Emily |title=Album review: Los Campesinos! – 'Romance Is Boring' (Wichita) |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-los-campesinos-11042-314947 |website=NME |access-date=22 June 2023 |date=1 February 2010}}</ref> | rev7 = ''Pitchfork'' | rev7Score = 8.3/10<ref name="PitchforkReview">{{cite web |last1=Thompson |first1=Paul |title=Los Campesinos!: Romance Is Boring |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13879-romance-is-boring/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=22 June 2023 |date=1 February 2010}}</ref> | rev8 = ''PopMatters'' | rev8Score = 9/10<ref name="PopMatters2010">{{cite web |last1=Sargent |first1=Jordan |title=Los Campesinos!: Romance Is Boring |url=https://www.popmatters.com/119499-los-campesinos-romance-is-boring-2496154817.html |website=PopMatters |access-date=22 June 2023 |date=25 February 2010}}</ref> | rev9 = ''Spin'' | rev9Score = {{rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="SpinReview">{{cite web |last1=Modell |first1=Josh |title=Reviews: Los Campesinos!, 'Romance Is Boring' |url=https://www.spin.com/2009/12/los-campesinos-romance-boring-arts-crafts/ |website=Spin |access-date=22 June 2023 |date=23 December 2009}}</ref> | rev10 = ''Under the Radar'' | rev10Score = 7/10<ref name="RadarReview">{{cite web |last1=Rytlewski |first1=Evan |title=Issue #29 - Year End 2009 - Best of the DecadeLos Campesinos! |url=https://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/romance_is_boring |website=Under the Radar |access-date=22 June 2023 |date=28 January 2010}}</ref> }}
The album debuted to widespread acclaim. According to Metacritic, the album has an average score of 75 based on the scores from 28 mainstream reviewers.<ref name="MC" />
Many music outlets claimed ''Romance Is Boring'' was the band's best album, or one that was a major improvement compared to their previous work. Calling it "an absolutely astounding album", Gareth O'Malley for ''DIY'' said it stands as "a rare example of a band that have improved with each release."<ref name="DIYReview" /> Tony Heywood of London magazine ''MusicOMH'' concluded "''Romance Is Boring'' is a triumph, a glistening, breathless success", writing the band were "at the peak of their considerable powers".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Heywood |first=Tony |date=1 February 2010 |title=Los Campesinos! - Romance Is Boring Album Reviews |url=https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/los-campesinos-romance-is-boring |access-date=19 June 2023 |website=MusicOMH |language=en-GB}}</ref> Matt Latham for ''Set The Tape'' called the album "the crowning piece of their discography" and a "masterpiece of songwriting and rewarding repeated listens".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Latham |first=Matt |date=12 February 2020 |title=Los Campesinos! – Romance is Boring |url=https://setthetape.com/2020/02/12/los-campesinos-romance-is-boring-throwback-10/ |access-date=28 September 2023 |website=Set The Tape |language=en-GB}}</ref>
Writing for ''Pitchfork'', Paul Thompson praised Paisey's relatable and honest lyricism, and called it a matured release from the band. He particularly commended the album's production which displays sonic experimentation without cluttering the mix.<ref name="PitchforkReview" /> Jordan Sargent of ''PopMatters'' concluded that "Los Campesinos! have, in short time, found their sound."<ref name="PopMatters2010" />
Other reviews were less positive, like British music magazine ''Uncut'' writing that "the band have beefed up their sound, at the expense of their spindly charm."<ref name="MC" /> Tim Sendra of AllMusic gave ''Romance Is Boring'' a scathing review, calling it an "over-cooked, under-performing album that ultimately falls short of their first two efforts," calling Paisey's songwriting poor and his voice "annoying more often than charming".<ref name="AllMusicReview" />
== Legacy == For the ten year anniversary of ''Romance Is Boring'' in 2020, several publications including ''The Line of Best Fit'' and ''PopMatters'' published retrospectives on the album. Writing for ''Getintothis'', Matthew Eland claimed it remained "their most accomplished record" a decade on, and called the track "I Just Sighed. I Just Sighed, Just So You Know" the group's best song.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Eland |first=Matthew |date=6 February 2020 |title=Romance Is Boring: ten years of Los Campesinos' miserablist classic |url=https://www.getintothis.co.uk/2020/02/romance-is-boring-ten-years-of-los-campesinos-miserablist-classic/ |access-date=20 June 2023 |website=Getintothis |language=en-GB}}</ref> On the remaster, Sawdey concluded: "It’s a remarkable achievement ... and it still stings a decade down the line".<ref name="PopMatters2020">{{cite web |last1=Sawdey |first1=Evan |title=Los Campesinos! 'Romance Is Boring' Holds Up A Decade Later |website=PopMatters |date=16 March 2020 |url=https://www.popmatters.com/los-campesinos-romance-is-boring-2645495789.html |access-date=19 June 2023}}</ref> Hakimian wrote that the record "set a path for what was to come in their music in the following years" – Paisey agreed, claiming that he finds ''Sick Scenes'' (2017) to be more similar to their 2010 output compared to their debut, ''Hold on Now, Youngster...'' (2008).<ref name="Hakimian2020" /> In 2020, ''Vulture'' described the album as the band's "most divisive".<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Cohen |first1=Ian |last2=Anthony |first2=David |last3=Corcoran |first3=Nina |last4=Garland |first4=Emma |last5=Nelson |first5=Brad |date=13 February 2020 |title=The 100 Greatest Emo Songs of All Time |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/best-emo-songs.html |access-date=29 September 2023 |website=Vulture |language=en}}</ref>
In 2020, Joe Goggins for ''The Skinny'' wrote that ''Romance Is Boring'' was a "unsung cornerstone of the emo revival" and a crucial contribution to the genre, citing its raw lyricism underrated beneath "oblique football references and the Heatonesque colloquialisms".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goggins |first=Joe |date=7 February 2020 |title=Romance Is Boring at 10: Los Campesinos' Lost Emo Legacy |url=https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/opinion/romance-is-borings-lost-emo-legacy |access-date=28 September 2023 |website=The Skinny |language=en}}</ref>
=== Accolades === ''Romance Is Boring'' was featured several times in various music publications' year-end lists. ''DIY'' placed the album at number 15 in their annual compilation,<ref name="DIYlist" /> and the publication's readers voted it in at number eight in a separate list.<ref name="DIYreaderslist" /> Meanwhile, ''NME'' called ''Romance Is Boring'' one of 2010's most underrated albums.<ref name="NMEunderrated" /> It also featured in the lists of ''Consequence of Sound'', ''Drowned in Sound'' and ''The Line of Best Fit''.<ref name="COSlist" /><ref name="DISlist" /><ref name="LOBFlist" /> {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |+List of appearances on year-end lists ! scope="col" |Publication ! scope="col" |Accolade ! scope="col" |Rank ! class="unsortable" scope="col" |{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |- ! rowspan="2" scope="row" |''Consequence of Sound'' |Top 100 Albums of 2010 |{{Centre|89}} |{{Centre|<ref name="COSlist">{{cite web |last1=Marvilli |first1=Joe |title=CoS Year-End Report: The Top 100 Albums of 2010 |url=https://consequence.net/2010/12/cos-year-end-report-the-top-100-albums-of-2010-mr/ |website=Consequence |access-date=28 September 2023 |date=17 December 2010}}</ref>}} |- |Top 35 Albums to Buy In 2010 |{{N/A}} |{{Centre|<ref>{{cite web |last1=Young |first1=Alex |title=The Top 35 Albums to Buy in 2010 |url=https://consequence.net/2010/01/the-top-35-albums-to-buy-in-2010/ |website=Consequence of Sound |date=5 January 2010 |access-date=29 September 2023}}</ref>}} |- ! rowspan="2" scope="row" |''DIY'' |Albums of the Year |{{Centre|15}} |{{Centre|<ref name="DIYlist">{{Cite web |date=17 December 2010 |title=DIY's 50 Albums of the Year 2010 |url=https://diymag.com/feature/diy-albums-of-the-year-the-winner-is |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.albumoftheyear.org/ratings/25-diy-highest-rated/2010/1 |archive-date=19 June 2023 |access-date=19 June 2023 |website=DIY}}</ref>}} |- |Readers' Album of the Year |{{Centre|8}} |{{Centre|<ref name="DIYreaderslist">{{cite web |title=Readers' Album Of The Year 2010: The Result |url=https://diymag.com/feature/readers-album-of-the-year-2010-the-result |website=DIY |access-date=28 September 2023 |date=17 December 2010}}</ref>}} |- ! scope="row" |''Drowned in Sound'' |Albums of The Year 2010 |{{Centre|32}} |{{Centre|<ref name="DISlist">{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=Sean |title=Drowned in Sound's albums of the year 2010: 50–11 |url=https://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4141664-drowned-in-sounds-albums-of-the-year-2010--50-11 |website=Drowned in Sound |access-date=28 September 2023 |date=2 December 2010 |archive-date=28 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928072707/https://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4141664-drowned-in-sounds-albums-of-the-year-2010--50-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref>}} |- ! scope="row" |''The Line of Best Fit'' |Albums of 2010 |{{Centre|12}} |{{Centre|<ref name="LOBFlist">{{Cite web |date=17 December 2010 |title=Albums of 2010 |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/lists/the-line-of-best-fit-albums-of-2010-43192 |access-date=19 June 2023 |website=The Line of Best Fit}}</ref>}} |- ! scope="row" |''NME'' |Most Underrated Albums of 2010 |{{N/A}} |{{Centre|<ref name="NMEunderrated">{{cite web |last1=Snapes |first1=Laura |title=Most Underrated Albums Of 2010 – What's Yours? |url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/most-underrated-albums-of-2010-whats-yours-38323 |website=NME |access-date=28 September 2023 |date=3 December 2010}}</ref>}} |- ! scope="row" |Sputnikmusic |Top 50 Albums of 2010 |{{Centre|34}} |{{Centre|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spencer |first=Trey |date=2 January 2011 |title=Top 50 Albums of 2010: 50 – 31 |url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/blog/2011/01/02/best-of-2010-50-31/ |access-date=19 June 2023 |website=Sputnikmusic |language=en-US}}</ref>}} |}
== Track listing == {{tracklist | all_writing = Gareth Paisey; tracks 4 and 11 co-written by Aleksandra Berditchevskaia. | headline = Standard edition | title1 = In Medias Res | length1 = 4:42 | title2 = There Are Listed Buildings | length2 = 2:54 | title3 = Romance Is Boring | length3 = 2:35 | title4 = We've Got Your Back (Documented Minor Emotional Breakdown #2) | length4 = 4:29 | title5 = (Plan A) | length5 = 2:02 | title6 = 200–102 | length6 = 0:53 | title7 = Straight in at 101 | length7 = 3:55 | title8 = Who Fell Asleep In | length8 = 4:11 | title9 = I Warned You: Do Not Make an Enemy of Me | length9 = 2:47 | title10 = Heart Swells/100–1 | length10 = 0:46 | title11 = I Just Sighed. I Just Sighed, Just So You Know | length11 = 4:38 | title12 = A Heat Rash in the Shape of the Show Me State; or, Letters from Me to Charlotte | length12 = 3:43 | title13 = The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future | length13 = 4:24 | title14 = This Is a Flag. There Is No Wind | length14 = 3:28 | title15 = Coda: A Burn Scar in the Shape of the Sooner State | length15 = 2:52 | total_length = 48:14 }}{{tracklist | headline = Remastered edition | title16 = Too Many Flesh Suppers | length16 = 4:49 | total_length = 53:15 }}
==Personnel== Credits are reflective of liner notes.
'''Musicians'''
* Los Campesinos!, specifically: ** Tom Bromley – music, string arrangements ** Gareth Paisey – writing ** Aleksandra Berditchevskaia – writing {{Small|(tracks 4, 11)}} ** Harriet Coleman – string arrangements ** Kim Paisey – shruti box, piccolo * Zac Pennington – vocals * Jamie Stewart – vocals * Eric Corson – vocals * Jherek Bischoff – vocals, trombone, double bass * Izaak Mills – saxophone, flute * Samantha Boshnack – trumpet, flugel horn
'''Additional personnel'''
* John Goodmanson – recording, mixing, producer * Eric Corson – engineering * Michael Lerner – engineering * Jackson Long – engineering * Tom Manning – assistant * Guy Davie – mastering * Anna Wayman – cover images
==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |+Weekly chart performance for ''Romance Is Boring'' |- ! Charts (2010) ! Peak<br>position ! class="unsortable" scope="col" |{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |- !scope="row|UK Albums Chart |{{Centre|92}} |{{Centre|<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 February 2010 |title=Romance is Boring – Los Campesinos |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/los-campesinos-romance-is-boring/ |access-date=29 September 2023 |publisher=Official Charts Company}}</ref>}} |- !scope="row| US Top Heatseekers |{{Centre|3}} |{{Centre|<ref>{{cite web |title=Top Heatseekers for the 2/13/2010 issue |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/chart-billboard-unkown/top-heatseekers-for-the-2-13-2010-issue-idUSN0111983120101001 |website=Reuters |access-date=29 September 2023 |date=6 February 2010}}</ref>}} |- !scope="row| US Top Independent |{{Centre|28}} |{{Centre|{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}}} |}
==Release history== {|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |+List of release dates and formats for ''Romance Is Boring'' |- !Date !Country !Label !Catalogue |- !scope="row|26 January 2010 |United States, Canada |Arts & Crafts |A&C050 |- !scope="row|1 February 2010 |United Kingdom |Wichita |WEBB239 |- !scope="row|3 February 2010 |Japan |Hostess |N/A |}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Los Campesinos!}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:2010 albums Category:Los Campesinos! albums Category:Arts & Crafts Productions albums Category:Wichita Recordings albums Category:Albums produced by John Goodmanson