Fontaines D.C. Confront Eternity At Roundhouse To Ring In Dopamine Chamber

The Roundhouse almost couldn’t contain the sound. On the eve of the release for their fifth album, Dopamine Chamber, Fontaines D.C. put on a charity show in collaboration with the suicide prevention organization CALM at the 1,500-cap London venue, an underplay for the Irish musicians. The urgency of the crowd was palpable, a desire for proximity to the band and their music that threatened to swallow the venue whole.Sitting up on the balcony, I saw someone in a balaclava lashing out with excitement. There was a man with devil horns at the front of the crowd — fitting for the band’s increasingly devious sound, and maybe a nod to the ones guitarist Carlos O’Connell wore in recent press photos. The stage was adorned with a giant F.T.D.C. sign, which flashed different colors during the show, and a giant silver curtain that looked like a big piece of agitated aluminum foil. It’s been an intriguing journey watching the five-piece evolve from gray post-punk to neon new wave. Dopamine Chamber isn't euphoric in the way its title suggests. It extends the cinematic expansiveness of 2024's Romance, but without as many moments of pop release as "Starburster," "Bug," or "Favourite." "Mimesis" com...