The indie band you love gets unbelievably big. It’s a trajectory as old as time. But it’s not one we really see on this sort of scale, at least, all that often anymore, is it?
Fontaines D.C. are part of an elite group of artists and bands who have been able to develop their sound at their own pace. They are an energetic ball of creativity, constantly gathering momentum, hurtling at breakneck speed onwards, upwards and outwards towards, and quickly passing, the next milestone. They are a relentless music making machine.
As their fifth album in 7 years arrives, we can make no bones about it. Fontaines D.C. are a hugely popular pop band. They are this generation’s equivalent of a U2, R.E.M., Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys or Arcade Fire. From the rough-around-the-edges post-punk of Dogrel and A Hero’s Death, through the ambitious, roots-grounded Skinty Fia, to 2024’s full-scale, mainstream-baiting evolution on Romance, the band have continually pushed beyond their beginnings. And if the genre-blending switch-up of their last album gained Fontaines D.C. more fans than it lost them, expect their latest LP, the ambitious Dopamine Chamber, to do exactly the same.
While Romance was indeed a great record, in hindsight perhaps one criticism could be that it played a little too freely with genre. However, that experimentalism appears to have paid dividends, with Dopamine Chamber not only pushing further in its search for a new sound, but crucially weaving those explorations into something gloriously cohesive. The album feels as tightly assembled as the kinship between the five band members, whose collective creative instincts continue to drive their evolution as musicians.
Dopamine Chamber opens unlike anything else in the band’s discography. Its pensive opener, "Six Shot Morning", wears their ‘new’ sound proudly, drawing heavily on electronic music and ’80s synth-pop. Grian Chatten’s vocals sit front and centre, intimate and unguarded, yet heavily treated with reverb, echo and delay. Lead single “Marianne” follows a similar path, it's searing, strident synth-pop in the vein of Depeche Mode, and the twinkling melodies beneath even bring Ryuichi Sakamoto to mind. The sound here is arguably as huge as the band have ever been, with Chatten even invoking cinematic sensations in the lyrics. It’s the fullest embrace yet of catchy, viral-ready earworm pop from a band who once made their name as a rough-edged post-punk outfit. Elsewhere, early standouts include the menacing, rhythmically playful “Mimesis”, recalling Joy Division on the cusp of New Order, and the Cure-esque gothic synth-rock of “Happy For You”.
While Carlos O’Connell, Conor Curley, Conor Deegan and Tom Coll work their reinvention into the music’s backdrop, this feels more than ever like Chatten’s baby. Where his lyrics once relied on witty, colloquial wordplay, much of Dopamine Chamber finds him adopting a more conversational approach, delivering laser-focused missives that feel both intensely personal and universally relatable. These are observations, preoccupations and criticisms of the bizarre, increasingly inhuman condition at the heart of contemporary existence. Vocally, too, Chatten sounds better and more comfortable than ever, particularly when unleashing the rapid-fire, hip-hop-esque delivery in “Tongue”. It’s an album that further solidifies his position as one of this generation’s most accomplished and instantly recognisable frontmen.
Fontaines D.C. have moved far beyond their early days as a Dublin post-punk band, formed in the orbit of BIMM, and Dopamine Chamber is big in every way. Producer James Ford is one of the biggest names in music, engineer Marta Salogni is highly sought after, while London’s leading alternative-classical group Elysian Collective contribute sublime string arrangements to five of the album’s eleven tracks. Perhaps most beautifully, the whole picture comes together on the brilliant, melancholic ballad “One Man”, one of the album’s must-hear highlights.
Just as you think the album has peaked, along comes the track everyone has been anticipating: “Where Is Gone?”, featuring Spanish alt-pop superstar Rosalía. A prospect that raised a few eyebrows upon announcement, it works better than many could ever have expected. Sure, the ghosts of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood, Nick Cave and PJ Harvey, and Mark Lanegan and Isobel Campbell haunt the track’s shadowy gothic romance fairly overtly, but the result is possibly the most beautiful piece of music Fontaines D.C. have ever laid down. Here, Chatten’s usually razor-sharp brogue softens to a romantic, baritone whisper in the ear, and the interplay between the two is impressively magnetic.
Later on, both “You Miss Me” and “Japan” rank among the most dynamic yet accessible rock-pop tracks the band have written. The former is particularly enthralling, its gloomy, restrained verses gradually giving way to a chorus that glistens in the sunlight, complete with glorious strings.
Dopamine Chamber is the perfect follow-up to Romance. While it might not be as revolutionary as its immediate predecessor, it’s arguably a better showcase for a band who have now completely immersed themselves in their new sonic world. The biggest Irish band of their generation just got a good bit bigger, and… better.
