REVIEW

Third album from New York–based shoegaze band DIIV, released via the esteemed Captured Tracks.

Formed in 2011 by Zachary Cole Smith—formerly of Beach Fossils—DIIV quickly gained attention with their 2012 debut Oshin, followed by Is the Is Are in 2016. Their shimmering, guitar-forward sound earned widespread acclaim and a devoted fanbase. After a three-year gap, this third full-length marked a decisive and unexpected shift toward a heavier, more abrasive direction.

That change was no accident. Lyrically and sonically, the album reflects Smith’s recovery from substance addiction, pushing the band deeper into shoegaze while drawing inspiration from My Bloody Valentine, True Widow, and even heavier acts like Neurosis. A 2018 tour with Deafheaven also left its mark, and Smith has cited The Smashing Pumpkins as a reference point for the guitar tones.

The opener, “Horsehead,” immediately signals the transformation: murky atmosphere, grinding noise, and a pronounced sense of dread announce a very different DIIV. “Like Before You Were Born” follows with a relatively uptempo pace, yet remains steeped in gloom, pairing hushed vocals with storming guitars. A standout moment arrives with “For the Guilty,” where a plaintive melody coils around crushing riffs; its lyrics, shaped by Smith’s time in recovery, feel like an act of confession as much as resolve.

Among DIIV’s catalog, this record represents their most shoegaze-leaning statement to date—and arguably their most daring. It stands as a defining turning point, capturing a band shedding its former skin and emerging with renewed purpose.

While no official commentary on the artwork has surfaced, its visual illusion strongly recalls Charles Allan Gilbert’s All Is Vanity, a clever ambiguity that aligns uncannily well with the album’s title, Deceiver. Intentional or not, it is a fitting image for a record built on duality, distortion, and hard-earned clarity.