DIIV: Frog in Boiling Water Weird ass review but to be fair it sounds like the author is having a hard time parsing what the albums whole deal is which makes sense because so far it seems like a lot to unpack that a review on release date just isn’t gonna be able to capture the essence. I could tell based on the singles but also deceiver was much the same way, diiv albums need to be sat for a loooong while to get into the meat of what makes them so impactful. it’s refreshing in todays landscape. pumped to listen to this later tonight or tomorrow.
Fuck. Great record. Somber and Fender took me right out. I haven’t heard Soul-net in months and kinda forgot the details so that got me too. That’s probably my favorite type of DIIV - just really sunken into a rhythm and luring you in. That song could be 15 minutes long and I’d have no notes I love the electronic elements sprinkled around, especially after reading that article where they indicated this wasn’t always a rock forward album. Gives me an idea of where these songs have been. I’m glad that wound up being a texture and not the focus, because they folded it into their sound flawlessly The way this band hones harmony is so goddamn strong. They can take a simple guitar line descending on top of a simple bass line going up and down the neck and make it carry a song like magic. It feels like you never know where the melody is gonna go and it always resolves better than you think it’s going to I coulda used an upbeat one snuck in there like The Spark or Skin Game, but I get that sequencing stuff like that can be hard on a record like this. Record is still fantastic Can’t wait to see these songs live in a couple weeks
singles hit so much harder in the context of the album. didn’t like brown paper bag at all, love it now. was also worried they’d abandon the delicate and subtle shifts in mood they perfected with Deceiver. it’s got less dynamics energy wise but more shifts in softness then they’ve ever had.
Yep, great stuff here. Definitely more of a "rock" record in the same vein as Deceiver (which I love) but also has a touch of softness and light that I think is missing from that record, even if it's my favorite of theirs. Loved about half of this on first listen, excited to spend more time with the rest of it. The one-two of "Everyone Out" and "Reflected" is beautiful.
Love this as a follow up to Deceiver. Gonna have to spin this a bunch before it really sticks though. Nothing really hits the same highs as The Spark or Blankenship but as a whole it works for me incredibly well.
I’m going to have the guitar hook from Somber the Drums stuck in my head all day, what a song. Definitely feels like this will be a great rainy day record. I’ve got 3 songs left and I agree that one or two more upbeat songs like Blankenship would’ve been a welcome addition but overall I am really enjoying it.
The back half of this is incredibly strong. So many subtle flourishes throughout, I’m looking forward to everything unfolding more on subsequent listens.
That was what I noticed right away in the first two tracks. The drums being so delicate really gives room for the spacey and layered guitar work to shine. Great choice by them. This is a great album!
yeah he uses such a light touch on brown paper bag it’s astonishing, immediately jumped out at me just how reserved and laid back the drums are but it works super well and somehow makes the drums MORE noticeable
Grabbed the indie retail variant - the shop really made me hunt for it lol. Thank dog for hype stickers. The green is a weird pairing with the album artwork despite being a nicely saturated mint color, but it did come with a cool 12”x6” lyric booklet (as I’m sure all variants will)