While “Is The Is Are” is DIIV’s most instrumentally solid work to date, frontman Zachary Cole Smith’s vocals are unnecessarily shrouded and low throughout the entire album, despite his high vocal range.
The breathy quality of his words do little to reinforce any of his brittle lyricism, monotonous guitar lines and lo-fi sound quality.
The instrumental interlude “(F—k)” is a step in the right direction, but is ultimately too short for comfort, it sonically grabs the most attention regardless of it’s vulgar title.
“Blue Boredom,” featuring Sky Ferreira is slightly interesting, but her out-of-breath, semi sensual vocals don’t dismiss the low volume of the backing band.
The song feels subdued and ignored in comparison to “Mire (Grant’s Song)” which speaks loudly for Cole, pushing his playing and influence towards a typical mid-tempo Sonic Youth song.
The bassline of “Mire” sounds familiar and lifted from a Kim Gordon riff that when Cole sings, he begins to take on her cadence.
In many places the songs are too long, and the dynamics for a great record are missing, as though Cole forgot to dub in vocals or only play a intro twice. The conception of each instrument’s sound is perfect, but the performance of each songs is elongated and repeated to nauseum.
Most of the title track is layered with reverse reverb effects and sweeping guitar lines, but what makes it a strong song is when Cole clearly and audibly sings “You ain’t the first to realize” sounding distinctly American and truthful. This is one of the few lines that can be truly taken to heart and empower any listener.
“Take Your Time” opens with a nice arpeggio and lead guitar lines and sounds relatively palatable, but the song begins to grow stale before Cole starts singing. The focus and interest at the beginning of “Take Your Time” gets quickly lost, but I can see it being ideal for a hazy summer day or driving long distances.
Overall, the album needs more direction and focus before it can be considered a success.