NPR Music

At almost exactly the midpoint of our conversation about the fifth album made by his band, Fontaines D.C., Grian Chatten told me, “It's an interesting time to be a self.” We'd been talking about the themes on 'Dopamine Chamber,' which comes out on Oct. 16, and could serve as a soundtrack to the era we live in now, what Chatten calls our “glorious age of distraction.”

It's also an interesting time to be a rock band in the mainstream, and that’s where Fontaines D.C., which formed in 2014, definitely lives these days. The Irish quintet’s next tour has them in stadiums and arenas, and the one guest on 'Dopamine Chamber' is pop's universal “it” girl, the Spanish singer Rosalía. The 2024 album Romance took Fontaines to another level, earning them two Grammy nominations and their best sales ever, with hits like the sweet and earnest “Favourite.” Following it up, Fontaines didn't take the easy way. Instead, they explored new sounds to create a captivating sonic travelogue that somehow connects the decadent beauty of old Europe with the narcotic ethereality of cyberspace.

Things really gel for Fontaines on 'Dopamine Chamber.' Using vintage synthesizers and studio effects, the band builds on the hypnotic energy that's always been its calling card to make something huge and seductive and haunting. I was lucky to speak with Chatten about his evolution as a storyteller and his place within a band that's always growing, but which remains utterly true to itself.

When they were making 'Dopamine Chamber,' Chatten’s bandmates recorded the instrumental parts of the songs first, and then Chatten went off on his own to write and record lyrics. This interview worked the same way — I talked with Chatten on his own, and with bassist Conor Deegan (who goes by “Deego”) about how guys who have been playing together since college have taken their bashing punk sound all the way to the stratosphere.   - Ann Powers

Credits:
Host: Ann Powers
Audio Producer: Noah Caldwell
Editor: Jacob Ganz
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta

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Troye Sivan’s 2023 album, 'Something to Give Each Other,' marked a turning point in the Australian singer-songwriter’s career. Its choreo-driven singles “Rush” and “Got Me Started” became viral hits, earned Sivan his first Grammy nominations and even spawned a Timothée Chalamet and boygenius spoof on Saturday Night Live. Soon after came the Sweat tour with friend and peer Charli xcx amid the hype of “Brat” summer. 

But while Sivan says it was a thrilling moment in his career, it also didn’t paint a full picture of what he was going through at the end of his 20s. His new album, 'She’s the Best,' gives the artist breathing room to dig into some darker feelings. Sivan sat down with NPR Music reporter Isabella Gomez Sarmiento to talk about honoring the women in his life, moving away from perfect pop music and making an “unsexy” album that reflects his true feelings. 

This podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell and edited by Hazel Cills. NPR Music’s chief editor is Jacob Ganz. Our executive producer is Suraya Mohamed. Our executive director is Sonali Mehta. 

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Cameron Winter. Troye Sivan. Remi Wolf. Host Stephen Thompson breaks down the best albums out Friday, Oct. 9 with DJs from around the NPR Music network: Tshego Letsoalo from KALW in San Francisco, Aurora McGuckin from MVYRADIO in Massachusetts and Jewly Hight from WPLN in Nashville. Plus, a handful of NPR Music writers and critics offer their personal picks in the lightning round.

The Starting 5

(00:39) Album No. 1
- Cameron Winter, 'Live at Carnegie Hall'

(07:30) Album No. 2
- Troye Sivan, 'She's the Best'

(14:45) Album No. 3
- Remi Wolf, 'Mud'

(21:11) Album No. 4
- Jess Williamson, 'A Mile South of Heaven'

(27:20) Album No. 5
- Danielle Ponder, 'Everything Has Changed'

(34:40) The Lightning Round

- Dawn Richard, 'creole culture'
- Margo Cilker, 'Little White Cross'
- Imperial Teen, 'All Over You'
- heavensouls, 'cantu of the sower'
- Joyce Wrice, 'Machiko'

Sample the albums via our New Music Friday playlist.

Credits:
Host: Stephen Thompson
Guests: Tshego Letsoalo, Aurora McGuckin, Jewly Hight
Audio Producer: Noah Caldwell
Digital Producer: Dora Levite
Editors: Elle Mannion, Otis Hart
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Special thanks to Ann Powers and Sheldon Pearce

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The music of Tim Bernardes fits as easily in the poetry of the cosmos as it does in the songwriting canon of his country. Brazil has a legacy of some of the greatest most intricate, emotional songwriting there is, and if you ask me, I’d argue Tim fits right into it. So, I invited him in to play a Tiny Desk for our annual El Tiny takeover. And, of course, I took the opportunity to pull him into the studio after – I absolutely needed to know what he’s been listening to. So, here we are again playing my latest and greatest new game: a special version of our typical guest DJ episode, where I ask them to recall different parts of their lives and themselves through music. No prepared songs or ideas. Let’s call this episode a musical tapestry painted by one of the greatest Brazilian singer-songwriters of this era.  - Anamaria Sayre

Artists and songs mentioned in this episode:

- The Beatles, 'I Want To Hold Your Hand'
- Os Mutantes, 'Caminhante Noturno'
- Milton Nascimento, 'Nuvem Cigana'
- Nelson Cavaquinho, 'Eu E As Flores'
- Gilberto Gil, 'Luzia Luluza'
- Antônio Carlos Jobim, 'Saudade Do Brasil,' 'O Boto'
- Caetano Veloso, 'Minha Mulher'
- Tim Bernardes, 'Realmente Lindo'

This podcast episode was produced by Noah Caldwell. Suraya Mohamed is the executive producer of NPR Music.

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A super deluxe box set of The Beatles' legendary 1965 album Rubber Soul has just been released with brand new mixes, demos and outtakes that show The Beatles breaking up with the past, their fans and everything people knew and loved about the band. 

In this conversation with All Songs Considered host Robin Hilton, Giles Martin, the producer behind the new mixes and son of late Beatles producer George Martin, talks about why Rubber Soul was such a pivotal album for the band, how the music was changing, and why it sounds “reasonably bleak.”  Martin also explains how the AI tools he used to update the mixes work, how he preserved the original spirit of Rubber Soul and more.

Tell us what you think with a review on Apple or Spotify wherever you listen to podcasts.

Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org

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