The title refers to zero interest rate policy, the cheap-money era that fuelled the tech boom, and the anger at that world runs through every song. Zachary Cole Smith is mixed far higher than ever before, so his words are impossible to ignore. Sometimes that’s a gift. “Evangelizer” is the best argument for the new approach: a bright, bendy guitar figure, a hook that sticks, and a lyric that indicts Smith’s own side for its passivity. It’s the most nuanced writing here and the clear standout.

Elsewhere, the directness is less flattering. “The Crash” has a fantastic, cutting guitar riff, but its commentary on billionaires and national decline is admittedly not very subtle. “Trillions” is the album’s most divisive moment. A.G. Cook buries Smith’s voice in bright Auto-Tune over bouncy, hyperpop-tinged indie, and the satire of greed lands with a thud. It’s a bold idea that works better as a talking point than as a song.

The guitars, thankfully, haven’t been tamed. “The Fountain” opens the record in a haze of distortion that would sit comfortably beside classic shoegaze bands like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive, and “Dare Me” is built on a warped, droning riff with digital flickers sneaking through the fuzz. “Kid” is the album’s neatest trick. It begins as a sweet, melodic pop song, then a ragged guitar break rips through the middle just when you’ve relaxed. “Us Against You” adds a synth-driven melody with a faint new wave flavour, and “My Star” climbs into full-throttled noise before the loose-limbed “Idiot in the Sky” closes things out.

The production has costs as well as benefits. Cook’s unique digital textures give the songs a nervy energy that suits the subject matter, but they also thin out some of the immersive weight that made DIIV special. By the final stretch, a few tracks lean on glitch and chatter where a bigger melody was needed, and Smith’s delivery can feel one-note when the lyrics call for subtlety.

Still, ZIRP! is a restless, committed record. It’s unlikely to replace records like Deceiver in anyone’s affections, and at times it overreaches, but a band willing to risk this much deserves credit. The guitars still burn, the best hooks are real, and the anger feels earned. It’s a flawed, fascinating swing, and one of the more intriguing shoegaze-adjacent releases of the year.

Pre-order Zirp! by Diiv HERE