After much teasing, Fontaines D.C. have announced their fifth studio album; Dopamine Chamber is out October 16 via XL. The lead single, “Marianne,” is out now and comes with a music video helmed by Dave Meyers, the go-to director for some of pop and hip-hop’s internet-breaking visuals. Check it out below.
Dopamine Chamber was produced by James Ford and follows the Irish band’s 2024 album Romance, which has since been certified platinum, helping Fontaines D.C. achieve mainstream success with hits “Favourite” and “Starburster.” They don’t seem to be embracing that view from up top, though. “Marianne” is billed as a song about escapism that’s partially inspired by the 2024 thriller series Ripley, setting up an album that supposedly questions what it means to pursue pleasures in a darkening world.
In a press release, Fontaines D.C. singer Grian Chatten said he spent time in Venice, Vienna, and Sicily searching for lyrical inspiration. “I think Romance was maybe 60 per cent human and 40 per cent corrupted by automation, and a loss of feeling,” he said. “This one feels more like 60 per cent corrupted—the mask is wearing the face a little more. I felt it would be more powerful to leave the hope out and reflect the ugliness honestly. This one needed to feel more like a catastrophic warning.”
Read about “Starburster” at No. 19 in The 100 Best Songs of 2024.
