Fontaines D.C.: "Dopamine Chamber? A dystopian vision of our times. Mina and the Cure among the influences". Chatten talks about the new album to NPR

“We live in a glorious age of distraction.” Grian Chatten, frontman of Fontaines D.C., describes the present this way: a world dominated by technology, uncertainty and a growing disconnect from our most authentic emotions. It's precisely out of this unease that "Dopamine Chamber" was born, the Irish band's fifth album, out October 16. In a lengthy interview with Ann Powers for American public radio network NPR, the singer talked about the ideas behind the record, his musical influences, the collaboration with Rosalía, and the relationship between art, politics and identity.

The choice to change course

After the success of "Romance" in 2024, which earned Fontaines D.C. two Grammy nominations and had them playing arenas and stadiums, the band chose not to repeat a winning formula, but to push even further into experimentation. The new record combines vintage synths, orchestral arrangements and industrial atmospheres, building a sonic universe suspended between the decadent beauty of the past and the anxieties of a digital future. "It feels like I'm writing about a metaphysical, imaginary place, one that represents or reflects the direction I think we're heading in," Chatten explained. "I want to fill it with all the things that strike me about life: the things that scare me about the future and the things that warm my heart when I think about the past."

The surprise influence: Mina

Among the record's most surprising influences is also Mina, whom the Irish singer considers a key reference point for the more human, emotional side of his music. "Do you know the Italian singer Mina?" he asks the interviewer. "She emerged in the 1960s and kept going for decades. I'm really in love with her music. She helped me find that sense of humanity I wanted to bring into this record."
At the opposite end of the musical spectrum are darker, more dystopian sounds, inspired by John Maus, Depeche Mode, New Order and the Cure's Disintegration. The goal, Chatten explains, was to let these two worlds coexist, creating an imaginary place where the warmth of human feeling collides with the coldness of technology. It's a contrast that also has precedents in Björk's music, particularly on "Homogenic", where the Icelandic singer's intensely emotional voice moves through electronic, industrial landscapes.

Film is another decisive influence. Chatten cites the science-fiction atmospheres of Ridley Scott and explains how the track "Marianne" was inspired by the Netflix series "Ripley", starring Andrew Scott, and by its images of Italy. "Those long shots stayed with me, the idea of someone on the run trying to replace their own soul with material possessions and a life that isn't theirs. For some reason, that really struck me."

But the central theme of "Dopamine Chamber" remains the relationship between the individual and a society that seems to have lost the ability to stop and reflect. "I simply want to make people feel something real about the world they live in, because right now it's a terrifying world," the singer said. "Our reaction is often to run away, hide and distract ourselves. We live in a glorious age of distraction. It really feels like the end of something, or maybe the beginning of something else, but I don't know what comes next." The reflection extends to the construction of identity in the age of social media. Speaking about the new track "Tongue", Chatten notes how it's become increasingly hard to grasp the value and reach of one's own words. "It's like we're all shouting into the void, until something that might not even really represent us goes viral. The very concept of identity gets dismantled and sold off in pieces. It's a really strange time to be yourself."

In this context, the singer also champions the importance of precariousness and art's fleeting nature. He says he loves writing on materials meant to be thrown away, precisely as a reminder that no idea is necessarily final. "Things gain meaning because they're transient. People love each other intensely because they know they'll grow old and die," he explained, contrasting this awareness with the illusion of absolute permanence offered by the digital world.

One of the new album's most significant moments is "Where Is Gone?", made with Rosalía. The collaboration with the Spanish singer represents a particularly important milestone for Chatten. "She's an incredible composer, arranger and songwriter. The fact that she wanted to sing on something we created fills me with humility. It's definitely one of the high points of my career." Musically, the track combines strings with unsettling textures achieved partly through the therevox, an electronic instrument related to the theremin, used to introduce an alienating, almost dystopian element into the arrangements.

The interview also touches on the collaborations made between "Romance" and "Dopamine Chamber", particularly their involvement in the charity project "HELP(2)" and the work with Damon Albarn on the track "Flags". Chatten expressed great admiration for the Blur and Gorillaz leader: "It's hard not to get swept up in the passion someone like Damon has for music. There's almost a kind of martyrdom in his attitude. He seems to have decided long ago to devote himself completely to what he does, putting everything else off until we're eighty. But it's a life lived fully."
Another key figure in Chatten's musical upbringing is Sinéad O'Connor, to whom Fontaines D.C. paid tribute by covering "Black Boys On Mopeds" for the same compilation. "My mother was the one who introduced me to her. She always used to sing her songs, especially after a glass or two of wine. When she did, she seemed to turn back into a sixteen-year-old. I grew up worshipping Sinéad." The choice of song is also tied to its political relevance today. According to Chatten, the issues O'Connor addressed still resonate in the present, especially in light of Britain's stance on the war in Gaza and the situation in the West Bank. The singer reaffirmed his support for the Palestinian cause, explaining that he generally prefers an implicit approach to politics in his songwriting, while not shying away from explicit statements during live shows. He also linked Irish artists' sensitivity to the Palestinian cause to the historical memory of the Great Famine and the oppression Ireland itself endured.

Finally, despite growing international popularity, Chatten reaffirmed how important it is to preserve the personal bond between the five members of Fontaines D.C. Success, he argues, hasn't changed the sense of belonging that unites them. "I have this slightly romantic image of us celebrating Christmas together when we're old, with our kids running around us. I really hope the others feel the same way."

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