On Dopamine Chamber, Fontaines D.C. are left fumbling for direction

Their follow-up, 2024’s Romance, veered in a pop direction as the band forged cleaner, chorus-and-reverb-washed mixes. On such irresistible pieces as “In the Modern World” and “Favourite”, singer Grian Chatten dialed down his tortured persona, exuding a lovelorn charisma, the set built around exemplary hooks and an expansive, open sound. Together, these two albums spotlighted the quintet’s versatility and ambition. With Dopamine Chamber, their fifth LP, the Dublin band strive to elaborate on the template employed for Romance. “Six Shot Morning” is a beat-driven and synthy foray, with Chatten moaning like a diehard romantic. “You and I live for a million years,” he croons; the implication being that we’ll all die soon enough, but can we live fully till then? Advance single “Marianne” – swirly, echoey – features one of the album's catchier melodies, with lyrics opaque enough to sustain a sense of mystery (“You can go on dreaming”) but concrete enough to draw one in (“You can go under the knife”). “Mimesis” is surprising for its clear homage to the ’80s playbook, conjuring an outtake from Duran Duran’s Rio or Tears For Fears’ Songs from the Big Chair, while “Happy for You” strives for...