Last week, Brooklyn-based rock band DIIV cryptically announced the release of their fifth album ZIRP! via a hotline mailing list. Framed as a “dystopian mantra”, the 11-track album is set to release on October 30th through Fantasy Records, and they just released their lead single “The Fountain” alongside the announcement of their forthcoming album.

ZIRP! is DIIV’s antithesis to the algorithm-oriented and category-obsessed mode of songwriting that currently pervades the music industry. Produced by pop-music alchemist A.G. Cook, the album is an acronym for “zero interest rate policies”—i.e., policies that are responsible for the culture of incessant streaming that renders us bloodless. “We spent a lot of time recording intricate guitar parts with specific guitar pedals, and as little time as possible doing anything on a computer, at least by my standards,” says Cook. “After a few rounds of that, ZIRP! emerged as a concept, and a sort of utopian, dystopian mantra. For me it became a vehicle to push the band into new territory.”

Through the release of their new album, DIIV is pioneering “The New Alternative” movement—a newly reified class of music that blends the rigor of grunge and shoegaze with the melodiousness of pop music. “The Fountain” epitomizes this progression, blending DIIV’s traditional squalling sound with a buoyant guitar section that defines their sonic evolution.

Ahead of the release of their new album, DIIV will be performing at Balaclava Fest in Brazil come September. They are also opening for Interpol on select dates for their North America tour this October, and they will be playing at Shrine Expo Hall with Basement on October 20th. Find tickets here.

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