DIIV’s sound is driven by guitar, with the bass and drum
only serving as a means of backing and moving the guitar’s melodies forward. Even the
vocals, consistently submerged and never prominent, serve as a background
complement.
Fans of Beach Fossils (band
leader, Zachary Cole Smith is a touring guitarist for Beach Fossils) and Wild
Nothing should enjoy Oshin, as it is
very similar in style and spirit to the sound of those two (underrated) bands. All three, in varying degrees, mix elements of 80s’ synth pop and C86 twee
bands. DIIV’s sound is no different but more reliant on the more traditional
instrumentation than the other two, visibly eschewing the electronic in favor of guitar centered
melodies.
Oshin oscillates
between spacey and driving. This back and forth works well overall, but the
more loosely structured parts are weaker and get lost. And while the guitar
focused melodies are also enjoyable, they do lend to songs blending together
too easily. At times, this gives the record a dreamy quality, causing Oshin to pleasantly float by as you
listen. However, this also makes parts of the album all too forgettable when
taken as a whole, and may be passively consumed too easily. This is a shame as many of these songs are well written and
quite good on their own. A more pronounced rhythm section and better
recording/mixing might have proven beneficial to creating a more balanced sound
and album.
Oshin portrays a
band in formation. Many of these songs are fantastic and present some wonderful
ideas, but there is still room for DIIV to tighten their sound. The mixing
could be better and the songs can blend together on repeated listens; however,
this remains an incredibly strong debut. It is not an overly ambitious or epic
album, but its smaller scale is a great respite from some of the more dense
releases this year. It is an excellent
companion for a lazy summer’s afternoon.
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