A. G. Cook, the prolific PC Music producer, has emerged as one of 2026's most visible forces behind the scenes. Beyond his ongoing collaborations with Charli XCX on her seventh studio album "Music, Fashion, Film" and the A24 film soundtrack "The Moment," Cook now turns his attention to an entirely new project. DIIV, the Brooklyn-based dream pop outfit fronted by Zachary Cole Smith, has announced a forthcoming album produced by Cook, titled "ZIRP!"
The partnership marks an unexpected sonic direction for DIIV, whose previous records established them as architects of hazy, guitar-driven indie rock with shoegaze textures. Cook's production aesthetic, rooted in experimental electronic composition and avant-garde pop sensibilities, suggests the band intends to expand their palette considerably. The producer's fingerprints appear across 2026's most adventurous pop and indie crossover moments, from his work on Charli XCX's provocative "Magic Metal Montana" to the unearthed Dux Content material with Danny L Harle.
Cook's ascendancy in mainstream music production reflects a broader shift toward art-pop experimentation. Where producers once remained invisible architects, Cook operates as a public intellectual of pop culture, shaping albums that blur genre lines between electronic, indie, and mainstream pop. His collaborations with Charli XCX and now DIIV suggest an appetite among established artists to embrace radical production choices rather than retreat into familiar formulas.
DIIV's last album arrived in 2022, leaving a four-year gap in their catalog. The addition of Cook to "ZIRP!" signals the band recognizes the moment requires calculated risk. Whether "ZIRP!" dilutes DIIV's indie credibility or accelerates their evolution remains uncertain, but Cook's involvement virtually guarantees the album will spark conversation beyond the usual indie rock circles.