are back with more infectious shoegaze on their fifth album ‘ZIRP!’. The Brooklyn-born band continue their brilliant run, following 2019 hit ‘Deceiver’ and their critically-acclaimed 2024 record ‘Frog In Boiling Water’. Lead single and opening track ‘The Fountain’ wastes no time as heavy effects surround the refrain: “There’s poison in the fountain of youth”. 

The signature distorted guitars DIIV have become synonymous with rarely let up throughout the album, best shown on ‘Dare Me’, with the mid-range right up there in the mix, the droning guitars inescapable across the track’s length. A.G. Cook, who produced the record, comes into his own on ‘Trillions’, which at times calls back to his hyperpop roots with an upbeat feel and autotuned vocals that provide a refreshing break from the album’s more typical DIIV numbers. 

The soft-spoken, at times haunting vocal delivery of frontman is beautifully complemented by the loud screeching guitars towards the end of ‘My Star’, with the ominously delivered line “my job is to love you, my job’s never over” landing with impact. ‘Idiot In The Sky’ ends the album as strongly as it began, leaving the listener with the lingering impression that while DIIV can switch it up, they’ve also remained true to themselves. 

8/10

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