Josh Owens

After releasing two successful albums in both Oshin and Is the Is Are, and an extended period of reflection, DIIV has released Deceiver, their third full-length album. Deceiver takes a grittier, more personal perspective in the eyes of frontman Zachary Cole Smith, who has taken the time in between albums to seek help and overcome his personal struggles with addiction. The inspiration for these songs comes from “living inside the disease,” trying to understand where the pain comes from on a broad scale, both personally and politically.

While DIIV’s first couple albums were very krautrock influenced and drowned in reverb, The guitars on Deceiver are much heavier while still holding onto their shoegaze roots. The first song and single “Skin Game” sheds light on how society influences the cycle of addiction, with layered vocals and clean driven guitars. “Taker” is about taking responsibility for the lies and their consequences, and trying to repair the relationships left broken in the process, while “Blankenship” analyzes the current political sphere of America with eerie instrumentation and vitriolic lyrics. Overall, Deceiver is a very strong effort not only as an album, but as a fresh new approach to evolving DIIV’s signature sound.