Fontaines DC release stunning new single, “Marianne”

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by Lauren Chenette

photo by Elizaveta Porodina

Fontaines D.C. have never been particularly interested in standing still. Since arriving with 2019’s Dogrel, the Irish five-piece have steadily pushed beyond the post-punk label that first followed them around, moving from the raw guitar attack of their early records toward something bigger, stranger, and increasingly cinematic. “Marianne,” the first taste of their upcoming fifth album Dopamine Chamber, feels like another small but significant step in that evolution. 

The track opens with a woozy, almost dreamlike atmosphere before settling into a sleek electronic pulse. There’s still plenty of tension in the arrangement, but “Marianne” isn’t interested in simply recreating the anxious guitar music Fontaines D.C. made their name with. Instead, synths, atmospheric textures, and a steady hypnotic rhythm give the song an intoxicating quality that suits its subject: escapism and the seductive pull of pleasure. It’s a song that feels inviting even when there’s clearly something unsettling lurking beneath. 

Grian Chatten remains the band’s secret weapon. His voice has always been capable of making even the most romantic sentiment sound vaguely dangerous, and here he leans into that quality. His performance is less confrontational than on some of the band’s earlier material, but no less compelling. There’s an almost seductive calm to the way he delivers the song, which makes its darker themes hit harder. 

artwork by Elizaveta Porodina

The track also gives a useful glimpse into the world of Dopamine Chamber, produced by James Ford and due October 16. The album reportedly explores the collision between pleasure, dread, and constant distraction, touching on everything from online culture to environmental and political anxiety. 

Following 2024’s Romance, the album that pushed Fontaines D.C. further into the mainstream, "Marianne" suggests they have no intention of simply repeating that success. If anything, they seem more interested in following their curiosity wherever it leads. The result is one of their most immediately atmospheric singles yet: catchy, strange, and just uncomfortable enough to leave you wanting another listen. 

If “Marianne” is the doorway into Dopamine Chamber, Fontaines D.C. have made it look very tempting to walk through.