This new EP from DIIV is their first release since their 2019 album ‘Deceiver’. An album that gained popularity for its grungy, fast-paced take on shoegaze. And while this EP holds these same values, it shows DIIV in a new light - one of progressive psychedelia.
The six song EP sees the three title tracks ‘Sometime’, ‘Human’ and ‘Geist’ sit alongside ‘Corvalis’, ‘Big Joke’ and ‘Bambi Slaughter’. Two of the title tracks, 'Sometime' and 'Human', are remastered renditions of previous material heard on their 2012 debut album 'Oshin', although they feature a slightly different ring on the new EP.
From the first few seconds on the opener ‘Sometime’, we are thrown into a dreamy synth river, flowing through echoed valleys of reverb-drowned guitar riffs and soft yet thumping bass lines. DIIV keep a similar theme throughout, such as on the psychedelic journey of ‘Geist', in which the listener is shown the more progressive nature lurking in the brighter end of the shoegaze spectrum. It features the same fast-paced drums found on the band’s previous material but with a more experimental melodic section that opens up room for them to try new avenues, and they do this without fear throughout the EP.
The EP ends with ‘Bambi Slaughter’, a grungy, edgier track with darker undertones than the rest of the new material. It showcases a heavier rhythm section which is cemented on loud, thrashy drum fills and a deep, punchy bass line. Somewhat reminiscent of DIIV’s older work, the track ends the EP with a more ambiguous tone and encompasses the band’s ability to combine experimental dreamy soundscapes with grungy shoegaze, all while retaining their distinctive tone.
DIIV’s new EP ‘Sometime / Human / Geist’ is an otherworldly daydream, basking in a psychedelic sunset. It takes a different direction from their previous material, while still embracing their shoegaze roots. The band are playing at All Together Now Festival 2022 in Portlaw, Ireland on July 31st as well as O2 Ritz Manchester on August 2nd and KOKO Electronic, London on August 3rd. Tickets available here.
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