Zombi — Direct Inject

The very long-awaited follow-up to 2021's Liquid Crystal sees proggy, synthy rockers Zombi building an album based on their improvisations with Direct Inject. This duo has been together making records for a couple of decades, so their knowledge of each other's inner workings and cohesiveness can't be beaten. Putting together an album that covers varied influences and styles over their well-loved and respected careers, Direct Inject is Zombi at its heart. However, like many zombies, there needs to be a little bit more flesh to consider it whole.

Direct Inject is undeniably Zombi, with Paterra's drums and Moore's synths their fantastic voices to their instrumental majesty. From neo-70's prog horror soundtrack vibes to Giorgio Moroder-esque intelligent dance rock. the duo has spread their wings wide and spread many seeds of joy and influence throughout their careers. Direct Inject sees the band utilizing improvisation as a main approach, and it's an interesting one for them to choose. The language of jam bands and jazz artists throughout the years, improv is a great way to flesh out new sounds, structures, and ideas. However, sometimes these need more to go before becoming full-fledged, and this is where Direct Inject stands. While it is definitely Zombi, as mentioned above, it feels very bare-bones and thin. Coming from a catalog that showed the band growing and getting more sonically experimental, this latest release seems like a step back into the past, almost to before their first release. The tracks here all feel thin and unfinished, and knowing that it's improv that makes sense. They don't have the ability to add tracks and layers, as well as adjust arrangements, tempos, and alter ideas. Because of this, the album just feels very plain and rushed. There isn't the flair that one has come to expect from Zombi nor anything that hints at the album's inspiration. Instead, the drumming seems flat, the synths pretty dull, and overall uninspired and lacklustre.

Zombi are great musicians and have really proven themselves throughout the years, not only with their releases, but also with their other projects, soundtrack work, etc. Direct Inject doesn't fit into this current trajectory, and the rushed feeling doesn't sit well after such a long wait between releases of original material. The idea behind an improv album is great, but the material here doesn't back it up. Thin, flat, and uninspired, Zombi's latest is a miss and along with the time off, makes one wonder if the band has too much other stuff going on at this time.