Fontaines D.C. releases quality post-punk album ‘Dopamine Chamber’
“Dopamine Chamber,” the highly anticipated album from rising Irish rock band Fontaines D.C., has finally been released. In addition to bands such as Geese (“Getting Killed”) and Turnstile (“NEVER ENOUGH: VERSIONS”), Fontaines D.C. have all eyes on them in the rock music scene. The band consists of five members; Grian, Conor, Deego, Tom, and Carlos. The five all met while attending BIMM Dublin, one of the top music schools in Ireland. Fontaines D.C. pushes their creative boundaries as musicians more and more every release, and “Dopamine Chamber” is no exception.
Fontaines D.C.’s previous album, “Romance,” was a critical turning point in the band’s nine year long career. Fontaines D.C. went from making rare appearances on American alternative radio channels to having their song “Starburster” as the theme song for “MobLand,” one of Paramount Plus’ most notable shows. The sound of “Dopamine Chamber” came as a shock to many after hearing the prereleases “Marianne,” “Tongue,” and “Where Is Gone?” “Romance” was primarily melodic-pop and at-times heavily ballad-like. “Dopamine Chamber” is more 80s post-punk with gothic influences than anything. Due to this complete 180, audiences were sceptical on the quality of this album.
The doubt did not last long however. On Oct. 15th, the day before release of “Dopamine Chamber,” Rolling Stone UK announced they rated the album at five stars. This is the same ranking that was given to historic albums such as “Working on a Dream” by Bruce Springsteen (“Nebraska ‘82: Expanded Edition”) and “25” by Adele (“30”). Fontaines D.C. had done it again, but this time alongside a sold-out tour and thousands of more streams. We could be witnessing rock music history here with these five young men from Dublin City alone.
Diving into the actual music, Fontaines D.C. is unlike anything you have ever heard. Grian Chatten, frontman of the band, has a recognizable-deep and almost flat tone. His voice is a bit reminiscent of music legend Ian Curtis, frontman of Joy Division (“ETERNAL (Live)”). Fontaines D.C. uses Grian’s voice to their advantage, balancing out their loud atmospheric guitars and electronic instruments with his soft, suave-like singing. “Dopamine Chamber” is slow, melodic, and most of all, beautiful. “Japan,” the lead single, is a sweet sounding tune. “Japan” is similar to their song “Favorite.” Both songs were the poppiest on the album, yet the most popular due to the uniqueness of the tracks.
Personally, I am more of a fan of their darker tracks. “Intimate,” the closing song on “Dopamine Chamber,” might be one of Fontaines D.C.’s best songs across their discography. “Intimate” is similar to their 2022 hit “Skinty Fia” with the way they played around with their synths and backing vocals. Most notable on the album is the previously mentioned track “Where Is Gone?” featuring Rosalía. This is Fontaines D.C.’s first feature ever, and Rosalía was the perfect pick. Both artists love to incorporate orchestral components into their already experimental music. “Six Shot Morning” and “Happy For You” start off anticlimactic, then suddenly burst into gothic-rock excellence.
This album will not click immediately with everyone. “Dopamine Chamber” was a risky release from Fontaines D.C., especially following the success of “Romance.” That being said, audiences are loving “Dopamine Chamber” just as much, if not more. “Dopamine Chamber” by Fontaines D.C. could easily be in talks for album of the year contenders.