The duo’s debut album is an exhilarating ride through colourful nu-disco…

Get this: it’s been almost a decade since Zombies In Miami came into existence - and it shows. Their discography runs deep and diverse, each release something new, and as soon as you feel you have them pegged they’ll subvert expectations. Indeed, be it prog, deep, psychedelic, disco, or even electro breaks, the Zombies are stylistically promiscuous.

If you have to pick a common denominator in their music, melody might be a thread you could convincingly pull at. Theeeyyy love it, and over the years they’ve become increasingly adept at, especially, layering it. We mean, the sort of layering where convergence points bloom into new melodies: a kinda melody inception. They really are good at extracting maximum value out of any motif. For an example of just how much juice they can squeeze, have a listen to their remix of Benjamin Frohlich’s ‘Dream City’. Now listen to the original. Aaaand that is why they get paid the big bucks. It’s kinda fitting that remix could be considered a watershed moment in their career, the moment everyone really sat up and noticed. Alongside another melodic mauler, 'Panoramica’ on Gerd Janson’s Running Back, the duo introduced what probably might have been the first studio sessions geared towards their debut album, 2712.

Across eight tracks we find Zombies in Miami at their fabulous best: we’re talking big airy synths, fantastic keytars, big infectious disco drums anchored by reverb-drenched snares. Put on some shoulder pads, blow-dry your (big) hair, and you can almost imagine yourself in a Beverly Hills Cop movie.

Nowhere does all those elements converge better than on first single ‘Frodo’. It’s big and in-your-face but never in a bombastic way. It’s hella infectious, but unlike COVID-19, its all the fun. Another straight-up synth-disco-cosmic-banger on steroids is ‘Laser Cat’. Its mixture of dense drums and joyous keys might be 2020’s tightest jam - and somehow they even managed to make the track sound like the name too. It’s not all bangers and mash, and the DNA of ‘Disco Nostalgia’ is no-frills Italo-Disco. The delivery is cosmic, and the grooves considered, almost workman-like, yet enticing enough to pull you onto the dancefloor. But the real bread-and-butter moment comes via the thick, molasses-like synth reminiscent of acts like Italian act Baby’s Gang. Upon its glorious entry, it spreads itself across the track like a rainbow.

On the rest of the album, the tracks are more contained. The call-and-response melodies of ‘U.F.O. Whisper’ and opener ‘Moonlight’ are fun but more functional. And once you think you know what’s coming next, Z.I.M. changes tact with ’Infinite Paraiso’ and ‘Marea’. Both cuts electronica offerings, low on melody but high on mood. They’re not fully-fleshed tracks nor completely pointless exercises, think of them like a time-out in between the bangers to catch your breath. And trust us when we say you will need some time to regather your oxygen: 2712 has some deadset winners that will knock the wind out your sails. Dance music albums can be fickle things and a chore to listen to in one sitting, but it can be a thrilling and engaging ride in the hands of capable veterans.

Thankfully for all of us, Zombies In Miami is just that.