DIIV – ‘ZIRP!’ review: pop meets politics on their most adventurous record yet

The first indication that DIIV were moving into more political territory came as they rolled out their last record, 2024’s ‘Frog In Boiling Water’. The album’s release was marked by a hoax appearance on Saturday Night Live where they were introduced by Fred Durst, a chaotic website replete with conspiracy theories, and a live show punctuated by spoof announcements suggesting that the band had entered into a “creative partnership” with ExxonMobil. It was a tongue-in-cheek campaign that concealed broiling anti-capitalist anger beneath the surface, and that offset the murky, lyrically opaque set of songs they were promoting. READ MORE: Uche Yara’s body music is defiantly human: “I have no choice but to wear my heart on my sleeve” The Los Angeles four-piece have carried this approach into their fifth album, ‘ZIRP!’, which refracts the dystopian state of modern America through the prism of their lightest, poppiest record to date. A.G. Cook, who produced the record, was apparently first approached by the band with the idea of remixing their initial demos in the style of Andrew Weatherall on ‘Screamadelica’. He swiftly threw out the suggestion, instead committing to following DIIV on tour...