Fontaines D.C.

Fontaines D.C. are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 2014, after the members met while studying at BIMM Dublin in the Liberties^[1]. The lineup is Grian Chatten (vocals), Carlos O'Connell and Conor Curley (guitars), Conor Deegan III (bass) and Tom Coll (drums)^[1].

They signed to Partisan Records in November 2018 and released Dogrel in April 2019, a Mercury Prize nominee^[1]. A Hero's Death (2020) earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album, and Skinty Fia (2022) became their first number one in the UK and Ireland^[1].

Romance (2024), their first album for XL Recordings and produced by James Ford, was nominated for the Mercury Prize and received two Grammy nominations, with Starburster becoming their first UK Top 40 single^[1]. They won the Brit Award for International Group in 2023 and 2025^[1].

Their fifth album, Dopamine Chamber, arrives on 16 October 2026, again produced by James Ford, led by the single Marianne, which treats escapism as its central theme^[2]. The band's longtime manager Trevor Dietz died in June 2026^[1].

Romance became the band's first platinum album, and its follow-up deliberately turned darker and more insular rather than chasing the success of Starburster^[3]. For Dopamine Chamber the band recorded the tracks first, with Chatten and Ford writing and recording vocals afterwards, and Rosalía appears as the only guest^[4].

The band have long worked with filmmaker Luna Carmoon, who directed their Romance-era video triptych and the video for the Dopamine Chamber track "Japan"^[3]. Chatten recorded his vocals for the new album in a makeshift booth of mattresses and cushions in Palermo^[3].

In late August 2026 the band headlined Leeds Festival, where they debuted new material from the album, including Happy For You^[5]. Chatten wrote most of the lyrics on a short trip through Vienna and Venice, and his vocals were recorded in a makeshift home studio in Palermo^[6].