DIIV: Is The Is Are (Album Review)

Originally published on the 'Tap' student website on February 8th 2016.
I knew nothing about the shoegazing genre back then. I'm afraid I still don't.

DIIV: Is The Is Are – Review

Amidst allegations and internal tensions resulting in the loss of drummer Colby Hewitt, Diivhave not only not split up, but they’ve produced an album of a much higher quality than many expected considering the circumstances. The fact that they’ve decided to self-produce the record to get the sound they want is reassuring, as is the sound of ‘Is The Is Are’; Diiv have come back strongly.

Owing to their self-production, ‘Is The Is Are’ is a rawer affair than ‘Oshin’, in parts sounding like the glassy sheen of their usual sound is slipping in places. This rawer edge is constant throughout most of the album; opener ‘Out Of Mind’ kicks off with what sounds like the band warming up, ‘Valentine’s’ otherwise smooth dreamy arrangement is shot through with guitar feedback that mingles with the backing vocals. They are welcome developments, Diiv sound more like a band performing in a studio, and I’m all for a record that shows how a band performs live, then again I am the kind of pretentious fellow who would go for the live cut over the studio mix because it sounds more like what the band wanted over how the record stands up as a piece of music. It’s safe to say that ‘Is The Is Are’ accomplishes the rare feat of sounding less overproduced without sounding like it’s been done for it’s own sake.

The strongest tracks are where they go out of their comfort zone, where indeed the slick mask does slip off a little; the ragged rhythms and guitar squeals sprawling over ‘Incarnate Devil’ provide one of the albums high points. ‘Blue Boredom’s bass-driven, almost dancey arrangement and Sky Ferreira’s guest vocals are a nice shift and present one of the album’s more focused numbers and the title track successfully straddles the line between Diiv’s shoegazing roots and a more conventional rock sound.

That said, the album could have done with an edit, some of the songs such as ‘Bent’, and ‘Dopamine’ are very similar to fare on their last album. ‘(Fuck)’ and ‘(Napa)’ certainly could have been cut, as they add little to the album and serve as little more than padding. I have never heard an album where these short musical interludes have played a part other than a distraction to the main attraction, and ‘Is The Is Are’ is not an exception; surely they would be better used as parts of other tracks. As it is, 'Is The Is Are’ wouldn’t be out of place if sold as a double-album.

Is The Is Are is the kind of album that demands a complete listen; the paranoid lyrics and packed arrangements pull you in rather quickly. Diiv can still produce entrancing dream-pop material, but Is The Is Are shows signs of evolution. It’s an album that retains all of ‘Oshin’s’ strengths and some of their weaknesses; a darker piece of work perhaps but it’s a stronger, more cohesive album overall.

Download: 'Incarnate Devil’, 'Is The Is Are’ and 'Blue Boredom’

Rated as a 7/10 in retrospect.