On Frog In Boiling Water, DIIV seem to go into a deeper, darker, heavier pool of sound while embracing shoegaze in a way that's squirmy, claustrophobic, and bitter. It's pretty doom and gloom without a speck of sunlight in sight.
DIIV, the Brooklyn based four piece, came out of the era of the early 2010's indie rock scene through hyped blogs and critics alike. One their breakout debut Oshin, DIIV ultimately had great songs that became gems like "Doused" and "How Long Have You Known?" that turned heads within the indie community. Although the songs themselves and Zachary Cole Smith's lead vocals were buried and smothered into oblivion in the recording (whether that's a good thing or not is up to you and what your preference is), it still is a solid debut that made DIIV a compelling act to follow even if their overall sound pitted them into a corner. On Is the Is Are and Deceiver, the band continued to diversify their sound by mixing elements of dream pop, post punk, and even shoegaze within their indie rock style. The production became better, the performances became more impressive and the band gained more and more of a personality and style that seemed more personified. As they've grown over time, I haven't exactly been the biggest DIIV fanatic, which is surprising since I love much of their other counterparts within the genre. I don't know if it has to do with Smith's vocals, which I perceive as a bit flat and lacking in range, or the band's lack of diversification in instrumentation. I've enjoyed a song here and there but I've never been in love with a full album experience. DIIV have never won me over completely to becoming a full fledged fan, but I still have hope.
DIIV definitely change it up sonically on their new fourth studio album, which I greatly appreciate. It's a much needed task for the band to take. On Frog In Boiling Water, the band seem to go into a deeper, darker, heavier pool of sound while embracing shoegaze in a way that's squirmy, claustrophobic, and bitter. The band's takes on late stage capitalism in its themes are quite doom and gloom (thought pretty accurate) and the band's down tempo, low key sound of shoegazed indie rock is enveloping. It's pretty doom and gloom without a speck of sunlight in sight. Smith's vocals are more prominent, while the guitars can be scathing and sound downright gorgeous at numerous points. There are moments that are explosive and moments that meander. The songs create such a cohesive sound of this pummeling, relentless dream pop and rock that it blends nearly all the songs together. Because of this, it's extremely seamless and cohesive throughout the track listing but it can be hard to differentiate the individual tracks themselves and specifically pick out what stands out. It can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. It's a bit complicated but if it helps I like this decision better than I don't...
Which is why it's kind of hard for me to talk about specific songs themselves. Much of the songs feature a heavy, melodic, and pretty guitar sound that's both moody and nervy. "In Amber" and "Brown Paper Bag," both album highlights, blend together pretty nicely even though their quite similar. "Raining on Your Pillow" is much dreamier and airier in sound and has pretty guitars with electronics and abrasive noise spread within the wall of guitars. The title track has some of the best progressive moments on the entire album and a memorable vocal performance from Smith. "Everyone Out" is another dreamier moment that's one of the album's better tracks with lush acoustic guitar strumming that matches nicely with Cole's quietly sung vocals. "Little Birds" has some light, pretty notes floating on top of the noise. "Soul-net" is another highlight that has these pummeling, repetitive guitars that suck you in. The closer, "Fender on the Freeway," is a pretty closer with a slow build into a fine climax reminiscent of classic dream pop.
Overall, Frog In Boiling Water is arguably the most enjoyable DIIV album experience for me thus far. Despite its flaws of its overall sound putting all of the tracks into one cacophonous, melting pot of doom and gloom, DIIV embrace dream pop and shoegaze with open arms and these sounds certainly aren't attempting to wriggle out. The band sounds stronger, Smith's vocals are better, the production is impressive. They attempt at new sonic textures and styles they are playing to each other's strengths more. Most importantly, I can point out that this is a DIIV record. A deeper, darker, and heavier DIIV.
My Rating: 7 / 10
Favorite Songs: "Brown Paper Bag," "In Amber," "Soul-net," "Everyone Out," "Raining on Your Pillow"
Comments