From anime to Rosalía: how Fontaines D.C. stopped sounding like Dublin

Fontaines D.C. began as Dublin post-punk poets and turned into something much bigger. Their 2024 album Romance drew on Japanese manga and anime, Italian cinema and bands like Korn and Deftones, and singer Grian Chatten called it their “least Irish” record. In October 2026, Dopamine Chamber went further and featured the band’s first-ever guest, Rosalía. Here’s how they got from there to here.

For the new album itself, read our Dopamine Chamber review. This piece is about the journey, mostly through 2024.

What inspired Fontaines D.C.’s Romance?

• Manga, anime and Italian film: widely reported as key influences on the album’s world (album overview).
• Nu-metal: Chatten cited Korn and Deftones in an interview with Monster Children. That’s a long way from the Dublin pub poetry of their first album.
• Italian horror: the video for “Here’s the Thing” was directed by Luna Carmoon, who confirmed the influence of Dario Argento’s horror film Phenomena.
• Arena tours: supporting Arctic Monkeys pushed the band to think about building a whole world around an album, as they told The Music.

Why did Grian Chatten call Romance their “least Irish” album?

Their early records were rooted in Dublin: its streets, its accent, its literary history. Romance looked outward, to Tokyo, Italian cinema and American metal. Calling it the “least Irish” album was a way of admitting the band no longer wanted to be defined by where they came from.

Where does Dopamine Chamber fit?

Dopamine Chamber came out on October 16, 2026 on XL Recordings. It includes “Where Is Gone?”, a duet with Rosalía, the first time the band has put another artist on one of their albums (Official Charts, Stereogum).

This is Pylcrow analysis. A band that once sounded like one city is now duetting with a Spanish pop star. That only makes sense because Romance opened the door. Without the anime, the metal and the horror films, Rosalía would have felt like a stunt. After them, she feels like the next step.

The Fontaines D.C. influence mixtape

Want to hear and see where the sound came from? Here’s a Pylcrow starter kit based on the influences the band and their collaborators have named:

• Listen: Korn, then Deftones’ White Pony.
• Watch: Dario Argento’s Phenomena (1985).
• Then play: Romance start to finish, then “Where Is Gone?” from Dopamine Chamber.

Memory Unlocked: what does this journey remind you of?

• It unlocks: the moment you outgrew your hometown, and how much of it you still carry anyway.

Frequently asked questions about Fontaines D.C.’s influences

What influenced Fontaines D.C.’s Romance?

Japanese manga and anime, Italian cinema, and bands including Korn and Deftones.

Is Rosalía on a Fontaines D.C. album?

Yes, on “Where Is Gone?” from Dopamine Chamber (2026). She is the band’s first-ever guest artist.

When did Dopamine Chamber come out?

October 16, 2026, on XL Recordings.

What should you read next?

Read our Dopamine Chamber review. For another artist’s evolution over a few albums, try Troye Sivan’s She’s the Best.

Another artist’s sound shift, traced: Troye Sivan’s road from Rush to She’s the Best.

Sources: The Music, Monster Children, Official Charts, Stereogum.