By Azzam Bilal 
HangupsMusic.com – Brooklyn, DIIV has never been a band to settle into a comfortable stasis. Since their inception, the project led by Zachary Cole Smith has undergone several stylistic metamorphoses, moving from the crystalline, reverb-drenched dream-pop of their debut to the heavy, grunge-inflected shoegaze of their more recent efforts. Now, just months after the release of their critically acclaimed 2024 record Frog in Boiling Water, the band is already preparing to enter a new era. Following a week of cryptic teasers involving a dedicated hotline and distributed business cards, DIIV has officially announced their upcoming full-length album, ZIRP!. Set to arrive on October 30 via Fantasy Recordings, the album represents a bold collaborative leap, as the band has enlisted the production talents of PC Music founder and pop provocateur A.G. Cook.
The announcement of ZIRP! comes as a surprise to many, given the relatively short window of time since the band’s last major release. However, DIIV has always been a group driven by a restless creative energy. The choice of A.G. Cook as a producer is perhaps the most intriguing element of the new project. Cook, known primarily for his work in the hyperpop sphere and his long-standing partnership with Charli XCX, might seem like an odd fit for a band rooted in the guitar-heavy traditions of indie rock. Yet, according to the collaborators, this friction is exactly what fueled the creative process.
In a press statement accompanying the announcement, Cook elaborated on the unique recording environment that birthed ZIRP!. He noted that his fascination with the band’s live energy led him to insist on recording live drum tracks before many of the songs had even reached their final arrangements. This "live-first" philosophy stands in stark contrast to the meticulous, computer-generated precision often associated with Cook’s previous work. Instead of leaning on digital synthesis, the sessions were defined by an analog obsession. The team spent significant time dialing in intricate guitar tones using a vast array of specialized pedals, deliberately avoiding the use of computers wherever possible.
Cook described the resulting sound as a "utopian, dystopian mantra." This thematic duality is reflected in the album’s title. While "ZIRP" is an acronym often used in economics to describe a Zero Interest Rate Policy—a tool used by central banks to stimulate stagnant economies—in the hands of DIIV, it becomes a conceptual vehicle. It suggests a world suspended in a state of artificial equilibrium, hovering between collapse and renewal. For the band, this new territory is both a challenge and a liberation, pushing their signature wall-of-sound aesthetic into more experimental and structured domains.
The first taste of this new direction arrives in the form of the lead single, “The Fountain.” The track serves as a bridge between the dense, atmospheric textures of Frog in Boiling Water and the more rhythmically focused approach hinted at by Cook. Listeners can expect a composition that balances the band’s melodic sensibilities with a newfound sense of urgency, anchored by the live percussion that Cook championed during the recording sessions.
As the band prepares for the October 30 release on Fantasy Recordings, they are also gearing up for an extensive international tour. The trek is designed to celebrate both the new material and their 2024 predecessor, taking the group across North America, South America, and Europe. The tour will feature a variety of high-profile support acts and festival appearances, underscoring DIIV’s status as a premier live act in the alternative landscape.
The journey begins in late September with a special performance at Balaclava Fest in São Paulo, Brazil, marking the band’s only South American date on the current itinerary. From there, the group will head back to North America for a series of high-capacity shows. A significant portion of the tour will see DIIV sharing the stage with post-punk icons Interpol, a pairing that bridges two generations of atmospheric rock. These dates include stops at major venues such as the Sobeys Stadium in Toronto, the Masonic Jack White Theatre in Detroit, and The Salt Shed in Chicago.
In addition to the Interpol dates, DIIV will perform a special show at the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles with the emo-inflected alt-rock group Basement. The tour will also see the band appearing at several major European festivals, including the Pitchfork Music Festivals in Paris and London, as well as the Sonic City Festival in Kortrijk, Belgium. This comprehensive touring schedule reflects the band’s commitment to bringing their evolving sound to a global audience.
The tracklist for ZIRP! reveals an 11-song journey that promises to explore the "utopian/dystopian" themes mentioned by Cook. Titles such as “When The Glow Came For Us,” “Evangelizer,” and “Idiot In The Sky” suggest a narrative depth that continues the sociopolitical and philosophical inquiries found in their recent work. By moving away from the computer-heavy production that dominates much of the modern indie scene and embracing the tactile, unpredictable nature of live instrumentation and analog gear, DIIV and Cook appear to have crafted a record that is both of its time and strangely timeless.
For fans who have followed the band since the shimmering guitar lines of Oshin, the arrival of ZIRP! represents another chapter in a remarkable story of artistic survival and reinvention. Zachary Cole Smith has often spoken about the importance of growth and the dangers of repeating oneself. With A.G. Cook at the helm and a suite of songs born from a "utopian mantra," DIIV seems poised to redefine what a guitar band can sound like in the mid-2020s.
Below is the full tracklist for the upcoming album:
ZIRP! Tracklist:
01 The Fountain
02 Kid
03 When The Glow Came For Us
04 Dare Me
05 The Crash
06 Trillions
07 Us Against You
08 Evangelizer
09 Underground
10 My Star
11 Idiot In The Sky
Fans can also find the complete list of tour dates below, including the special guests for each leg of the journey:
DIIV 2024 Tour Dates:
09-27 São Paulo, Brazil – Balaclava Fest
09-29 Brooklyn, NY – The Meadows
09-30 Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
10-02 Toronto, Ontario – Sobeys Stadium (with Interpol)
10-03 Montreal, Québec – L’Olympia (with Interpol)
10-06 Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE (with Interpol)
10-07 Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre and Ballroom (with Interpol)
10-09 Detroit, MI – Masonic Jack White Theatre (with Interpol)
10-10 Columbus, OH – Kemba Live! (with Interpol)
10-11 Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed (with Interpol)
10-13 Chesterfield, MO – The Factory (with Interpol)
10-15 Atlanta, GA – The Eastern (with Interpol)
10-16 Atlanta, GA – The Eastern (with Interpol)
10-17 Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle (with Interpol)
10-20 Los Angeles, CA – Shrine Expo Hall (with Basement)
10-21 San Francisco, CA – Psyched! Fest
11-02 Paris, France – Pitchfork Music Festival
11-06 Kortrijk, Belgium – Sonic City Festival
11-07 London, England – Pitchfork Music Festival
As October 30 approaches, the anticipation for ZIRP! continues to build. Whether it is the result of the mysterious hotline campaign or the sheer curiosity regarding the A.G. Cook collaboration, DIIV has successfully captured the attention of the music world once again. In a landscape often dominated by digital saturation, the band’s commitment to the "intricate guitar parts" and the "live drum" energy of this new project suggests that the future of indie rock may lie in a return to its most tactile, human elements. With a heavy touring schedule and a fresh sonic palette, DIIV is ready to navigate the utopian and dystopian landscapes they have created.
