With the release of Fontaines DC’s fifth album, Dopamine Chamber, approaching on 16 October via XL, the band’s catalog offers a complex look at their evolution. Starting the list at number 20 is the 2025 track “It’s Amazing to Be Young,” a euphoric departure for the group inspired by the birth of bassist Conor Deegan’s daughter. Frontman Grian Chatten described this lighter emotional turn, noting, “Sometimes, optimism is a necessary delusion.” Following at 19 is “Death Kink” (2024), a track marked by Pixies-influenced string bending and a dark, wonky aesthetic. But the shadow of Pixies definitely hangs over Romance’s Death Kink, from the string-bending lead guitar line on the chorus to the fabulously wonky solo and the abrupt ending, it’s often cheeringly difficult to work out exactly what Fontaines DC’s influences are.
The 2020 single “A Lucid Dream” lands at 18, highlighted by a fierce, driving energy in its original form, while 17th-ranked “Big” (2019) remains a definitive opening statement for the band’s debut, Dogrel. At 16, “In the Modern World” (2024) captures a cinematic, noir-inspired atmosphere written during Chatten’s isolation in Los Angeles. The 2022 title track “Skinty Fia” sits at 15, blending industrial noise with gothic guitar work to explore themes of Irish diaspora identity, while the 14th spot goes to “Hurricane Laughter” (2019), a masterclass in relentless, Krautrock-inspired post-punk. Which slows the tempo, drags a piano into proceedings and amps up the song’s ineffable sense of menace, the best take on A Lucid Dream might be the radically different “live version” released as a single in 2021. That said, the original – speedy drums, abstract guitar noise, ferocious climax – is quite something, too. Snotty, swaggering, supremely exciting statement of intent (“Dublin in the rain is mine … I’m gonna be big”) that immediately lets listeners know they are in the presence of something special, big is a fierce. Etc – written by Chatten during a spell of isolation in Los Angeles, In the Modern World feels a little like one of Lana Del Rey’s LA noir tales shot through Fontaines’ grimy lens, with startling results, the saga of “a fictional throuple together amid Armageddon” – tale as old as time. The lyrics of the title track deal in ambiguity and confusion, as a recently expat Irishman grapples with different notions of Irishness among the diaspora, as with a lot of songs on Fontaines’ third album. Funky rhythm section overlaid with eerily gothic guitar and industrial noise, but there’s nothing ambiguous about the music – a muscular.
“Big Shot” (2022) takes the 13th position, acting as a precursor to the band’s expansive later sound, followed by the 12th-ranked “I Don’t Belong” (2020), an unflinching meditation on the alienation of touring. At 11 is the 2026 track “Marianne,” an eagerly anticipated single characterized by a slow-motion synth chug. The top ten begins with 2020’s “Televised Mind,” a fuzzed-out commentary on social media anxiety, followed by the surprisingly sunlit 2024 closer “Favourite” at number 9.
Ranking at 8 is “Liberty Belle” (2018), a quintessential example of their early punk-infused sound, while the 2020 title track “A Hero’s Death” takes 7th place, balancing dark introspection with rhythmic buoyancy. The 6th position is held by “Nabokov” (2022), a claustrophobic and bleak shoegaze-influenced conclusion to the Skinty Fia album. At 5 is the 2022 song “Roman Holiday,” which captures the complicated excitement and confusion of relocating to London. A delight, albeit one as dark-hued as the title suggests.
The final four entries feature “Boys in the Better Land” (2019) at number 4, serving as a high-intensity, distorted counterpoint to their urban themes. The 3rd spot is occupied by the chillingly melodic “Jackie Down the Line” (2022), which unflinchingly depicts an abusive relationship. At number 2, “Starburster” (2024) introduced what fans call Fontaines V2.0, utilizing a trip-hop-inspired beat and panic-stricken vocals to define their pop-facing yet urgent new direction. Finally, at number 1, “I Love You” (2022) stands as the band’s most crushing and emotive achievement, building from a gentle intro into an epic, snarling critique of Ireland that remains their most ambitious and dense composition to date.
