FONTAINES D.C. Are revving up a new era with a 30-second preview of forthcoming single ‘Marianne’ — and they’ve all but confirmed album number five is next.

The Dublin five-piece shared the snippet on YouTube on August 14, giving fans a taste of a fraught, industrial-leaning sound. The teaser rides a frenetic rhythm and sweeping strings, with Grian Chatten delivering lines including: “This year, you should come and stay here / You can follow my lead, I can help you disappear… Marianne, this could be your fatal match.”

The band also posted a fresh photograph shot by Elizaveta Porodina on Instagram, captioned simply: “5.” With 2024’s ‘Romance’ being their fourth studio album, it’s a pretty clear nod that the follow-up is on the runway.

‘Marianne’ isn’t totally new to the faithful: Fontaines first played it live in Cádiz during their first full headline show of the year in Spain on August 8, where they also debuted another unreleased track, ‘Six Shot Morning’. While ‘Marianne’ points towards a heavier direction, ‘Six Shot Morning’ reportedly leans spacey and synth-led.

They’ve been open about writing steadily for a while. Bassist Conor Deegan III previously said the band “can’t stop writing” when they’re together, while guitarist Carlos O’Connell noted earlier this year that things could “get busy” if the music keeps landing — and that they’ve often road-tested unfinished songs live.

Next up, Fontaines have more European dates lined up in France, Switzerland and Austria, before topping the bill at Reading & Leeds at the end of the month and headlining Ireland’s Electric Picnic on August 30. Their return to the stage recently followed the death of their manager Trevor Dietz, whom they called “the sixth member of the band”; their first performance since his passing came at the BBC’s final live session at Maida Vale earlier this month.