Dublin band Fontaines D.C. released their fifth album, Dopamine Chamber, on Friday on XL Recordings, and early reviews have been strong.

The Guardian's Laura Snapes called the album "gloomy, gorgeous and a gargantuan triumph." In her review, she wrote that it is "a beguiling, endlessly inventive and frequently astonishing fifth LP" from a band "at increasing ease with being the best band of their generation."

Pitchfork's Shaad D'Souza described it as "a sleek stadium-rock record that sparkles like a lab-grown diamond the size of your fist." He wrote that "this is cruel, beautiful feel-bad music."

Both reviews say the album is about the pull of technology and constant pleasure. The Guardian said frontman Grian Chatten wanted to write about social media and what it means to be human when "the mask is wearing the face a little more." Pitchfork said the band chose to make "a seductive" record rather than "an angry record about technology."

The album includes "Where Is Gone?," a duet with singer Rosalía, the first guest on any Fontaines record, according to The Guardian. Snapes called the song "absolutely astonishing." D'Souza wrote in Pitchfork that it is "one of the most beautiful either artist has recorded, and one of the most chilling."

Both critics singled out lead single "Marianne." The Guardian called it "a massive song, a beckoning void."

The album follows 2024's Romance, the band's first platinum-certified album, The Guardian reported. Pitchfork said Romance was a commercial success in the UK and Ireland.

NPR Music put Dopamine Chamber first on its New Music Friday list of the best albums out Oct. 16.

What we know: Dopamine Chamber came out Friday and includes a duet with Rosalía.
What we don't: How it will do on the charts in its first week.