Creativity is the process of making the intangible palpable, an attempt at understanding the cosmic imbalances that plague the mind, body, and the world they inhabit. This mystical part of our brains is sensitive, and only a few seem capable of controlling it and using it for good; even then, it can consume you. The old trope of the “tortured genius” can be corny when used outside of specific contexts, and the appealing lure of it all can drown out the natural musical prowess of some of the most beloved musicians of our time. Between the years of 2012 and 2015, DIIV’s Zachary Cole Smith found himself slipping into the mold of the troubled frontman, only to break free of it all and deliver a breakthrough moment for his band.
On February 5, 2016, Smith and DIIV released their long-awaited sophomore album, Is The Is Are, four years after the band exploded onto the scene with their 2012 debut. The extended period between these albums is when Smith and DIIV began to face complications. Amidst touring their 2012 debut, the band canceled a European leg of the tour, became embroiled in controversy thanks to comments made by bassist Devin Ruben Perez, and then drugs came into the picture. Smith retreated to San Francisco after DIIV’s European tour was canceled, hoping to find inspiration in the lively city and drug culture. After a few failed sessions with Girls member Chet “JR” White, Smith was arrested on his way to a festival performance for possession of a controlled substance.
At that moment, it appeared DIIV was doomed to become more of a possibility than any sort of success story, but Smith’s arrest would prove to be the saving grace and starting point of Is The Is Are. During and after Smith’s trip to rehab post-arrest, Smith wrote a majority of these 17 songs, narrowly avoiding the stereotypical ending of the “tortured artist” arc. Is The Is Are was recorded in the spring of 2015 across Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and the tension the band was facing is palpable across songs like the high-strung “Yr Not Far” and haunting psychedelia of “Incarnate Devil.” Smith was well aware of the mounting pressures facing DIIV’s sophomore effort, and rather than wallow in the success and stress that come with a debut, the songwriter emerged on the other side with a new lease on life, a sense of creativity, and a chip on his shoulder.
Smith was attempting to climb multiple mountains on Is The Is Are. Between original drummer Colby Hewitt leaving the band, Smith’s own problem with drugs, and the immense pressure of following a triumphant debut, DIIV put everything and anything into these songs. Their guitar-driven sound flourished on songs like the cinematic outro “Waste of Breath,” with its cacophony of shoegaze bliss, and the infectious, hypnotic “Valentine.” “Healthy Moon” is an emotionally poetic example of Smith’s more mature songwriting, while “Dopamine,” a song the frontman wrote while in rehab, depicts the catastrophic nature of the moments leading up to Is The Is Are.
While Is The Is Are proved to be a creative milestone for DIIV, the critics and charts indicate a more lukewarm response. NME and The Guardian gave the album four out of five stars, while Pitchfork and Spin gave it eight out of ten points. The album peaked at 81 on the U.S. charts. Ten years after Is The Is Are was released, it hasn’t lost a bit of its vulnerable urgency and intoxicating atmosphere. Out of the rubble of fame emerged a new side of DIIV, one that was more self-assured, poignant, and daring.
