Irish band Fontaines D.C. released their new single ‘Marianne’ on the 18th of August, announcing their fifth studio album, ‘Dopamine Chamber’, which arrives the 16th of October through XL Recordings.
The song was produced by James Ford, who also worked on the band’s 2024 album ‘Romance’. The album blended raw guitar work electronic elements, ‘Marianne’ moves further into synthesizers, built around strings, percussion, and a theatrical atmosphere.
Frontman ,Grian Chatten, has said the new album draws on time spent traveling through Venice, Vienna, and Sicily, and that it marks a deliberate move away from the more organic feel of ‘Romance’ toward something more processed. He has also pointed to the 2024 thriller series ‘Ripley’ as a partial inspiration for ‘Marianne’, whose lyrics center on escapism, seduction, and reinvention, giving the listener an invitation into disappearance and individuality.
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The band first played ‘Marianne’ live at their opening headline show of the year in Cádiz, Spain, in early August, alongside another new track, ‘Six Shot Morning’. A short teaser clip appeared on YouTube later, followed by an Instagram post confirming a fifth album was coming. The finished single was released on the 18th of August with a hallucinogenic music video directed by Dave Meyers, whose past credits include Travis Scott’s ‘Sicko Mode’ and Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Humble’.
‘Dopamine Chamber’ follows ‘Romance’, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize and certified platinum in the UK. According to the band, the new album explores the pursuit of pleasure and distraction in a world heading toward collapse, touching on anxieties around artificial intelligence, environmental crisis, and political pressure. The group that includes, Chatten, Carlos O’Connell, Conor Curley, Conor Deegan III, and Tom Coll have also recently contributed to the Peaky Blinders: ‘Immortal Man’ soundtrack and the ‘War Child Help(2)’ compilation.
Dopamine Chamber is set for release for all fans to hear on the 16th of October!
