Zombie (Yungblud song)

Last updated

"Zombie"
Single by Yungblud
from the album Idols
Released30 May 2025 (2025-05-30)
Genre Pop rock
Length4:06
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Matt Schwartz
Yungblud singles chronology
"Lovesick Lullaby"
(2025)
"Zombie"
(2025)
"Changes"
(2025)
Music video
"Zombie" on YouTube

"Zombie" is a song by English singer-songwriter Yungblud which was released through Lococomotion and Geffen Records on 30 May 2025 as the third single from his fourth studio album Idols . It was written by Yungblud and Matt Schwartz, and was produced by Schwartz. Lyrically, Yungblud described the track as a ballad about “feeling you’re ugly, and learning to battle that”. The song features strings from the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and a music video starring British actress Florence Pugh. [1]

Contents

Background

Yungblud announced his fourth studio album, Idols , part one of a planned double album, on 12 March 2025. [2] [3] The full track list for the project was revealed the same day, with "Zombie" appearing as the fourth track. [4]

The song was debuted on 21 March 2025 alongside fellow Idols singles "Hello Heaven, Hello", "Lovesick Lullaby", and album track "Ghosts" during Yungblud's surprise set at Scala in London. [5] Discussing the genesis of the track, he explained that “the song was written initially about my grandmother going through serious injury and trauma, leading her to become a different person to who she was before. It’s about the feeling of deterioration and ugliness; shutting out the world and the people we love out of the fear of becoming a burden or an embarrassment. We all want someone or something to comfort us, no matter how we are right now or who we become in the future. But it’s fucking scary.” [6]

Music video

The song's official music video was released on 30 May 2025. It was directed by Charlie Sarsfield, his fifth collaboration with Yungblud having previously directed the videos for "Hello Heaven, Hello", “Lovesick Lullaby”, the non-album single "Breakdown" and the 2022 single "Tissues", produced by Untold Studios, and stars Oscar-nominated actress Florence Pugh. [7] Discussing the decision to cast Pugh, Yungblud spoke of his admiration for her, referring to her as “one of the most exciting British artists in a long time”, and someone who is “completely legit and individual within her own style in her own time.” He always envisioned having someone like Pugh as the visual lead for the song's video when he originally wrote "Zombie", explaining that “the song is so deep, so emotional, but so fundamentally British. I was like mind blown watching her on set. And she’s just a legend. You can tell, man. She’s just sat in a pub on a Sunday with a pint of Guinness, just talking shit.” [8] In an Instagram post following the video's release, Pugh reciprocated his admiration, stating “I believe in everything @yungblud stands for and am absolutely inspired by how he uses his art and his voice. Being a part of his music video for ‘Zombie’ feels surreal to me. Dom and I have been trying to find something to work together on for a while and so when he voicenotes me (in a suuuper casual way) about whether I’d be down we muscled our teams together to find a way to squeeze this in to both our insanely busy schedules, there was no way I was missing out on this. I haven’t known him for long but I’m just so proud of this beautiful British talent. Thank you for having me on your journey and thank you for making this love letter to nurses all around. What a privilege it is to make epic things, with epic people for great reasons.” [9]

Described by Yungblud as a "love letter to nurses", it features Pugh as an National Health Service nurse who is emotionally pushed to the brink as she cares for patients and struggles to cope with the pressures placed under healthcare workers. The video begins with her sat alone in the hospital having a quiet moment before she begins visiting some of her patients: an elderly woman, a young girl, and a mother battling cancer, alongside clips of her at home staring at herself in the mirror crying, sitting in the bath fully clothed, and breaking down after a challenging day. She comforts the boyfriend of a woman brought in by paramedics covered in blood, and embraces the children of her cancer patient when she rings the bell to signify that the disease is in remission. Scenes of Yungblud and his band performing on the ward are interspersed throughout. At the end of the video, one of her young patients takes her to the vending machine, and a pair of angel wings appear on the nurse's back.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. [10]

Musicians

Technical

Charts

References

  1. Smith, Thomas (30 May 2025). "Florence Pugh Stars in Yungblud's Emotional Video for New Single 'Zombie': Watch". Billboard .
  2. Dunworth, Liberty (12 March 2025). "Yungblud teases next era as he returns to social media with new look: "Hello"". NME. Archived from the original on 12 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  3. Garner, Emily (14 March 2025). "YUNGBLUD announces new nine-minute single, Hello Heaven, Hello". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  4. Garner, Emily (6 May 2025). "YUNGBLUD announces part one of his new double-album, Idols". Kerrang! . Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  5. Burton, Poppy (22 March 2025). "Yungblud debuts three new songs at intimate surprise Scala show". NME .
  6. Skinner, Tom (30 May 2025). "Yungblud shares powerful new single 'Zombie' with Florence Pugh-starring video" . Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  7. Franklin, McKinley (30 May 2025). "Florence Pugh Stars as a Healthcare Professional in Yungblud's Latest Music Video for "Zombie"". The Hollywood Reporter .
  8. Zelmer, Emily (30 May 2025). "Florence Pugh Looks for the Light in Yungblud's Video for 'Zombie'". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  9. "Florence Pugh - Making special things with special people". Instagram . 31 May 2025.
  10. "Zombie". Tidal . Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  11. Top Radio Hits Estonia Weekly Chart. TopHit. 13 June 2025. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  12. "Official Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 6 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  13. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  14. "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs: Week of August 9, 2025". Billboard . Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  15. "Top Radio Hits Estonia Monthly Chart: June 2025". TopHit. 4 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.