DIIV – Is The Is Are

There are more than a fair few Brooklyn bands that have a particular taste for jangly guitars and not washing. It is only a minority of these, however, where the substance is greater than the style. DIIV fall in to the latter category, peddling reverb jangles in a way that doesn't just sound like a Cure pastiche. This second full-length offering is a sprawling continuation of their debut. While Oshin was exploratory yet managed to remain concise, Is The Is Are rambles somewhat over an unhealthily long 17 tracks.

The same almost esoteric mysticism that made their debut so beguiling remains throughout, guitar lines intricately weaving around rolling bass and Zachary Cole Smith’s hazy croon; there are some gems within – the Joy Division-indebted Valentine and glorious pop of Dopamine attest to this. Repeat visits are sure to unearth more of the band’s thought process, but there's a lingering sense that less could've been so much more.