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Is the Is Are
Is the Is Are is the second studio album by American indie rock band DIIV, released on February 5, 2016 on Captured Tracks. Self-produced by vocalist and guitarist Zachary Cole Smith, the album was recorded at Strange Weather Recording Studio and The Bunker, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It was preceded by the singles, "Dopamine", "Bent (Roi's Song)", "Under the Sun" and "Is the Is Are".
Work on Is the Is Are began in 2013, a year following the release of the band's debut album, Oshin (2012). Its recording, however, was plagued by various factors, including, failed recording sessions with Girls' Chet "JR" White; Smith's drug addiction and eventual arrest; controversy surrounding online remarks made by bass guitarist Devin Ruben Perez; and the eventual departure of drummer Colby Hewitt, due to his own drug addiction.
"I know I have to stay alive at least until the album's done. This is one shot at immortality, if I ever have one. I know it's by far the most important thing I'll ever do. That's very empowering, no matter what fucked-up shit is going on. Every day is a struggle, but I have to be the best I can, stay sober and finish this record."
In 2013, while touring in support of the band's debut studio album, Oshin (2012), vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter Smith canceled the band's planned European tour, citing exhaustion and a desire to work on new DIIV material: "As an artist, the biggest, most important reason for me to do this is to write and create. That then becomes the thing that falls by the wayside because you have to keep all this other stuff going." Initially writing and recording with former Girls bassist Chet "JR" White, in San Francisco, Smith noted: "I've been writing a ton of stuff, in bizarre different circumstances. It feels like the last year has been the most insane of my life so far, moving around, being on tour and doing a lot of writing in different scenarios. The music coming out of it has been pretty bizarre."
The sessions with White, however, proved unsuccessful, with Smith stating: "I had these glorified ideas about San Francisco and its drug culture. I thought inspiration would just hit me and I would get these San Francisco drugs in my system and all of a sudden an amazing record would come out. But that's not really what happened at all. We sat down in a studio and, instead of picking up a guitar and having some beautiful thing come out, I just had no idea what the fuck I was doing there and gave up before I even started."
Shortly after, on September 13, 2013, Smith and his girlfriend Sky Ferreira were arrested "on misdemeanor charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance," following an incident in which their car was pulled over by the police, en route to the Basilica Music Festival. Smith stated that the incident greatly influenced the writing and recording of Is the Is Are: "What happened to us was really shitty and traumatic, and it wasn’t something I did to get attention — it was the worst possible thing that could have happened at that moment. I knew it was going to take a really good album to save me. That’s what made it so hard to write, and why it took so long. If I didn’t make a great record, then I’m done. That’s it. I’m fucked." Following the arrest, Smith attended rehab, writing the song "Dopamine" in January 2014, after his release.
DIIV used a 14-date concert and festival tour throughout the United States in July 2014 as an opportunity to craft new songs. One of the new songs they performed, "Dust", was previously premiered in June 2013, in a video of the band practicing the song. At the time, DIIV's second album was set to be released between late 2014 and early 2015. Smith says he wrote around 300 songs for the album. The band rented a warehouse in Los Angeles for January and February 2015 and worked on the songs there.
The bulk of Is the Is Are was recorded in March 2015 at Strange Weather Recording Studio and The Bunker Studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Regarding the recording process, Smith noted: "I didn’t want it to sound slick or over produced. I wanted it to sound human and homemade. And that’s the key to this album, I wanted it to show humanity, imperfect and flawed – the album title, the way it was recorded, I wanted every element to sound human, then hopefully people can empathise with me rather than judging me."
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Is the Is Are
Is the Is Are is the second studio album by American indie rock band DIIV, released on February 5, 2016 on Captured Tracks. Self-produced by vocalist and guitarist Zachary Cole Smith, the album was recorded at Strange Weather Recording Studio and The Bunker, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It was preceded by the singles, "Dopamine", "Bent (Roi's Song)", "Under the Sun" and "Is the Is Are".
Work on Is the Is Are began in 2013, a year following the release of the band's debut album, Oshin (2012). Its recording, however, was plagued by various factors, including, failed recording sessions with Girls' Chet "JR" White; Smith's drug addiction and eventual arrest; controversy surrounding online remarks made by bass guitarist Devin Ruben Perez; and the eventual departure of drummer Colby Hewitt, due to his own drug addiction.
"I know I have to stay alive at least until the album's done. This is one shot at immortality, if I ever have one. I know it's by far the most important thing I'll ever do. That's very empowering, no matter what fucked-up shit is going on. Every day is a struggle, but I have to be the best I can, stay sober and finish this record."
In 2013, while touring in support of the band's debut studio album, Oshin (2012), vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter Smith canceled the band's planned European tour, citing exhaustion and a desire to work on new DIIV material: "As an artist, the biggest, most important reason for me to do this is to write and create. That then becomes the thing that falls by the wayside because you have to keep all this other stuff going." Initially writing and recording with former Girls bassist Chet "JR" White, in San Francisco, Smith noted: "I've been writing a ton of stuff, in bizarre different circumstances. It feels like the last year has been the most insane of my life so far, moving around, being on tour and doing a lot of writing in different scenarios. The music coming out of it has been pretty bizarre."
The sessions with White, however, proved unsuccessful, with Smith stating: "I had these glorified ideas about San Francisco and its drug culture. I thought inspiration would just hit me and I would get these San Francisco drugs in my system and all of a sudden an amazing record would come out. But that's not really what happened at all. We sat down in a studio and, instead of picking up a guitar and having some beautiful thing come out, I just had no idea what the fuck I was doing there and gave up before I even started."
Shortly after, on September 13, 2013, Smith and his girlfriend Sky Ferreira were arrested "on misdemeanor charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance," following an incident in which their car was pulled over by the police, en route to the Basilica Music Festival. Smith stated that the incident greatly influenced the writing and recording of Is the Is Are: "What happened to us was really shitty and traumatic, and it wasn’t something I did to get attention — it was the worst possible thing that could have happened at that moment. I knew it was going to take a really good album to save me. That’s what made it so hard to write, and why it took so long. If I didn’t make a great record, then I’m done. That’s it. I’m fucked." Following the arrest, Smith attended rehab, writing the song "Dopamine" in January 2014, after his release.
DIIV used a 14-date concert and festival tour throughout the United States in July 2014 as an opportunity to craft new songs. One of the new songs they performed, "Dust", was previously premiered in June 2013, in a video of the band practicing the song. At the time, DIIV's second album was set to be released between late 2014 and early 2015. Smith says he wrote around 300 songs for the album. The band rented a warehouse in Los Angeles for January and February 2015 and worked on the songs there.
The bulk of Is the Is Are was recorded in March 2015 at Strange Weather Recording Studio and The Bunker Studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Regarding the recording process, Smith noted: "I didn’t want it to sound slick or over produced. I wanted it to sound human and homemade. And that’s the key to this album, I wanted it to show humanity, imperfect and flawed – the album title, the way it was recorded, I wanted every element to sound human, then hopefully people can empathise with me rather than judging me."