NOW Fontaines D.C. Have dropped footage of them playing new single ‘Marianne’ during the last-ever BBC Maida Vale session — and revealed the track only made the cut thanks to their late manager Trevor Dietz.

The band officially released ‘Marianne’ on Tuesday August 18, alongside the announcement of their new album ‘Dopamine Chamber’. The record is produced by James Ford, due out October 16 via XL Recordings, and follows 2024’s Mercury-nominated ‘Romance’.

Fontaines recorded the Maida Vale session on July 31. Part of the set was broadcast on BBC 6 Music, but ‘Marianne’ wasn’t aired. The newly shared YouTube drop includes ‘Marianne’ plus performances of ‘Roy’s Tune’ and ‘It’s Amazing To Be Young’, both of which did feature in the broadcast.

Bassist Conor “Deego” Deegan III has explained on Instagram that ‘Marianne’ was originally “left on the cutting room floor” during work on the album — one of 40 songs the band wrote for ‘Dopamine Chamber’. He said that, while playing Dietz the material at his place in Brighton, their manager called them “absolute lunatics” for wanting to leave it off, prompting the band to bring it back as the lead single.

The album is the band’s first since Dietz’s death. Fontaines announced his passing in June, saying he “was beside us from the beginning of our journey” and calling him “the sixth member of the band”. Deegan added that the album is dedicated to Dietz: “All he gave us, all he taught us. Love you forever.”

‘Marianne’ was inspired in part by the 2024 thriller series Ripley and deals with themes of escapism and surrender. Live-wise, Fontaines’ UK summer run continues with UK and European dates including headline slots at Reading & Leeds and Electric Picnic, before a North American tour. Guitarist Carlos O’Connell has said he likes the idea of revisiting older material at Reading & Leeds, potentially making the setlist more ‘Dogrel’-heavy.