Different Game
Different Game is the seventh studio album by English rock band the Zombies, released on 31 March 2023 through Cooking Vinyl. It is their first album since Still Got That Hunger, which was released in 2015.
| Different Game | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 31 March 2023 | |||
| Length | 39:16 | |||
| Label | Cooking Vinyl | |||
| Producer | Rod Argent | |||
| The Zombies chronology | ||||
| ||||
Recording and production
Work began on the album in 2019 shortly after the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but resumed after lockdown restrictions were lifted. The album was designed to sound like a live performance to "capture that magical, fleeting quality of energy and immediacy of performance".[1]
Composition
Different Game is eclectic in style.[2] The album has been described as having "rockers" as well as "tender acoustic ballads with classical string arrangements".[1] The Telegraph's Andrew Perry writes the album "harks back to the prog-rock era", bringing advanced composition and "instrumental virtuosity" to pop songs.[3]
"Love You While I Can" is described by Clash editor Robin Murray as "[b]eatific baroque pop with a decidedly English feel, ... meld[ing] together West Coast harmonies with something soothing, and almost psychedelic."[4]
"I Want to Fly" is a chamber pop song that draws from classical music, featuring only strings and vocals.[3][5] Argent explained he had arranged it for a previous album but wanted to revisit it for Different Game, with a new arrangement by Chris Gunning. Argent described it as "an affectionate look back" to Blunstone's 1971 solo album One Year, which Argent produced with former Zombies bassist Chris White.[2]
"Got to Move On" is a harmonica-driven blues stomp[5][6] that Perry characterises as "Spencer Davis Group-style R&B."[3]
Cover
The album's cover photo, taken by Argent, shows the band's tour van after it broke down outside of Phoenix, Arizona.[7] Blunstone explained: "We were traveling from Southern California to Tucson, when our tour van's engine suddenly caught fire! We spent about 5 hours stranded in the remote Arizona desert [...] It was a harrowing experience, but also beautiful and surreal."[8] Argent said he felt the photo "seems to sum up what being in a band is truly like!"[7] The event further inspired the lyric video for "Dropped Reeling & Stupid".[8]
Release and reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 72/100[9] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| American Songwriter |  [11] |
| The Telegraph | [3] |
Different Game was released on 31 March 2023.[5] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album has an average score of 72, based on 5 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[9]
Track listing
All tracks composed by Rod Argent, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Different Game" | 4:57 | |
| 2. | "Dropped Reeling & Stupid" | 3:52 | |
| 3. | "Rediscover" | 3:58 | |
| 4. | "Runaway" | 3:17 | |
| 5. | "You Could Be My Love" | 3:48 | |
| 6. | "Merry-Go-Round" | 4:24 | |
| 7. | "Love You While I Can" | 3:18 | |
| 8. | "I Want to Fly" | 4:16 | |
| 9. | "Got to Move On" | 3:54 | |
| 10. | "The Sun Will Rise Again" | Colin Blunstone | 3:27 |
Personnel
- The Zombies
- Colin Blunstone – lead vocals
- Rod Argent – keyboards, backing and lead vocals
- Tom Toomey – guitar, backing vocals
- Jim Rodford – bass, backing vocals
- Steve Rodford – drums
References
- "the zombies - different game - resident". www.resident-music.com. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- Sokol, Tony (31 March 2023). "The Zombies' Rod Argent Breaks Down Their New Album Different Game". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- Perry, Andrew (31 March 2023). "The Zombies, Different Game". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- Murray, Robin (14 February 2023). "Music Legends The Zombies Share Romantic Hymn 'Love You While I Can'". Clash. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- Papadatos, Markos (1 April 2023). "Review: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band The Zombies release their new album 'Different Game'". Digital Journal. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- Matthew, Nathan. "The Zombies: A Different Game". OX Magazine. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- Ruggiero, Bob (28 February 2023). "The Zombies Resurrection Continues with New Album, Tour and Documentary". Houston Press. Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- Reilly, Nick (12 January 2023). "The Zombies announce new album 'Different Game'". Rolling Stone UK. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- "Different Game by The Zombies Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- Thomas, Fred. "The Zombies Different Game". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- Zimmerman, Lee (22 March 2023). "Review: The Zombies Prove They're Still in the Game". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.