By Sophie Kavanagh
Dopamine Chamber is Fontaines D.C.’s fifth studio album, and you can be assured, they are
not losing steam! Their discography is following a similar, yet, I say, more acclaimed trend to
Arctic Monkeys. Their sound is distinct and unique, yet since the debut album (Dogrel,
2019), it has grown with the band in a beautiful flow, reminiscent of the changing of seasons.
Every season is so different but still fits on the same planet.
This album, for me, just screams a cold, wet autumn full of rumination and poetic sadness.
Grian Chatten’s (the lead vocalist) vocals are astounding on this album; you can nearly hear
the anguish. The band do not seem to be concerned with curating the ‘perfect track’, but
instead, making what feels right to them. A quality that is truly admirable in a world full of
microtrends and TikTok songs that flow in and out of the Top 100.
The record opens with “Six Shot Morning,” which is a melancholic tune that does not
outshine the whole album, but sets it up for greatness. Every track after this is uniquely
individual but blends with the next at the same time. The duality of this album is on another
level. Fontaines D.C. successfully made a family of musical works that each own unique
values while being completely different. “Where Is Gone?,” featuring ROSALÍA, is the
band’s first feature, and it is astounding. Chatten’s low vocals and ROSALÍA’s feminine
voice blend together gracefully.
Their music videos have been amazing too. In true Fontaines style, they feel oxymoronic;
they are random but, at the same time, feel so intentional. The video for “Japan” includes
Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton and depicts themes of martial discontent, murder and dirt
eating. The “Marianne” video is very visual, and there’s a heap of whacky effects used to
create a haunting, dream-like world where Grian gets his skin pulled, smokes out of a
woman’s ear and gets crawled over by various psychedelic women. The last video that’s
currently published is “Tongue,” and it is just Grian with a fish-eye camera, filming him and
the band singing the track on a city bus with a blue haze on top. All completely different, but
in the same bracket. It’s hard to explain; they all just feel Fontaines D.C.-esque! It’s
impressive how the band has established a recognisable sound so early into their career. Give
the album a listen, watch the videos on YouTube and get tickets for Slane. Happy listening!