Fontaines D.C. have released Where Is Gone?, a slow-burning ballad sung with Rosalía, as the third single from their fifth album. The track, produced by James Ford, marks the first time the Irish group have featured another artist on one of their records. Dopamine Chamber is due out on 16 October through XL Recordings. The single is the latest preview of the record and the most unexpected so far, pairing the Dublin group with one of the best-known voices in Spanish-language pop.
The song opens as a quiet acoustic piece before strings and drums gradually fill it out. Frontman Grian Chatten and Rosalía trade verses and then sing together, setting the Dublin singer’s low delivery against the Spanish artist’s higher voice. Guitarist Carlos O’Connell said he had followed Rosalía since her first record and admired the way she has kept Spanish musical traditions alive, which he likened to the band’s own relationship with Irish music.
Dopamine Chamber deals with artificial intelligence, celebrity gossip, political violence, climate change and internet memes. Chatten has used the album’s title to describe the state of modern life, and said the band wanted the record to land as “a catastrophic warning”. Sessions moved between London, the English countryside and Palermo in Sicily, where the singer put together a makeshift vocal booth out of mattresses and cushions. The list of subjects gives the album a wide reach, moving between online culture and global crises across its tracklist.
The new album follows Romance, released in 2024, which was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize. That record also earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album at the 67th ceremony, while its single Starburster was nominated for Best Alternative Music Performance. Those nominations mean Dopamine Chamber arrives as the band’s most anticipated release so far, with Where Is Gone? the latest preview.
Fontaines D.C. head out on UK and European arena dates in October and November before travelling to Asia in January. Shows in Australia and New Zealand follow in February, with Lollapalooza South America booked for March. A North American headline tour then begins on 22 April at MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston. Rosalía has not been announced for any of the dates, and the band have not said whether the duet will be performed live with her. For now the recorded version is the only meeting of the two acts, and listeners will hear it in the context of the full album when Dopamine Chamber is released later this week.
