In 2013, DIIV frontman Zachary Cole Smith was arrested for heroin possession and ordered to spend time in a chemical dependency treatment centre. Similarly, the span of time between Oshin, their debut, and Is the Is Are found drummer Colby Hewitt leave the band — also because of his drug addiction.
As a result, the album took much longer to complete than expected. Reported, Smith wrote over 100 songs for Is the Is Are in an attempt to reach some sort of perfection that would allow his audience to forgive him for his crimes.
This isn’t a simple feat: beyond the fact that that writing 100 songs is challenging, writing music like DIIV’s without the help of some sort of hallucinogenic wouldn’t be a walk in the park either. The reverb-laden and chorus-dripping guitar lines are to DIIV what the Edge’s unnamed guitar effects are to U2, but DIIV takes it a step closer to the edge of modern songwriting and experiments with the very form of alt-rock.
In essence, comparing DIIV with Pink Floyd would be wrong, because they sound nothing alike, but they share musical ambitions. While DIIV often writes tracks that feel destined for alt-rock radio, they have a very different approach to shoe-gazing than their peers. The vocals take a step back and become textural, like the rest of the record, making DIIV feel like an electronic band made entirely with “acoustic” instruments.
Songs like Dopamine reinforce DIIV as leaders in guitar sounds, but they also perfectly encapsulate what the record is about: recovering from a debilitating drug addiction and finding your identity in a new reality.
Tracks like Valentine and Yr Not Far are still very DIIV, in the sense that they’re largely built up with effect-driven guitars and bass lines that feel like they’re constantly moving forward.
It’s hard to say if this is a result of sobriety, but there’s a hint of darkness to this record that wasn’t part of DIIV’s sound before. It’s a sense of discontent that comes with success, but also with failure in spite of it. The record feels like a punishment for Smith’s behaviour as much as it does like a checklist of fans’ desires.
Is the Is Are is the sort of record that you know you’ll like within the first listen. It’s not for everybody. But DIIV knows that. With their sophomore album, instead of widening their palette, it feels like they’re doubling down on their sound in an effort to trademark it.