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8.7
83618
8.7 |
Paste Magazine
Is the Is Are will take you one listen to decide whether you’re on its team
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8.5
83467
8.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
Yes; Is The Is Are is overly long, and they very much stick to their musical template throughout, but it’s crammed with great tracks
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8.5
83541
8.5 |
Spectrum Culture
There is a certain level of buy-in required to fully embrace DIIV, but this album makes a convincing case that it is a worthy cost
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8.4
83431
8.4 |
Earbuddy
Cole Smith overcomes his personal and musical obstacles to craft a dark, compelling album
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8.1
83320
8.1 |
Pitchfork
Is the Is Are hits on a visceral, teenage level similar to that of the Cure or Smashing Pumpkins
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8.0
83317
8.0 |
NME
Forget all the baggage, this is just a band in a room, and the noise they make is thrilling
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8.0
83344
8.0 |
Spin
These are, by and large, cautionary tales, suggestions of the years that addiction and self-deprivation can strip from you — milky, curdled ballads that lay bare his former lifestyle’s worst consequences
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8.0
83364
8.0 |
Under The Radar
A dense and wondrous record that will bear new fruit for dozens of listens
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8.0
83433
8.0 |
Exclaim
If there was ever any question as to Smith's ability and motivation during these last few years, Is The Is Are answers them loudly, clearly and triumphantly
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8.0
83437
8.0 |
DIY
On ‘Is The Is Are’, everything carries more meaning; he’s well and truly made his point here
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8.0
83448
8.0 |
The Guardian
Diiv are demanding complete sonic immersion, and providing the listener with ample opportunities to lose themselves
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8.0
83372
8.0 |
Gig Soup
Feels like one big opiate-induced dream, coasting on clouds surrounded by clattering guitar lines, thundering drums and vocals that could be mistaken for your own-consciousness murmuring back at you
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8.0
83373
8.0 |
NOW
A redemption of sorts for Smith, whom many had written off as just another clichéd troubled rock star
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8.0
83418
8.0 |
Beardfood
Lush wave rock, hazy singing, lots of reverb
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8.0
83523
8.0 |
No Ripcord
Is The Is Are truly does accomplish a through and through alternative rock sound
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7.0
83718
7.0 |
musicOMH
The end result is highly accomplished, viscerally honest and at times hypnotically beautiful, even if it ultimately doesn’t quite live up to its creator’s ambition
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7.0
83568
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
DIIV prove there's a lot of life left in the decades-old practice of adding way too much distortion to everything
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7.0
83593
7.0 |
God Is In The TV
An album which, with a bit of judicious pruning, could be a fantastic distillation of all that is great about DIIV but which, as it stands, is simply too much of a good thing
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7.0
83354
7.0 |
Drowned In Sound
A welcome return, and one that hopefully signals a healthier and less troublesome existence in the future
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7.0
83318
7.0 |
The Music
A solid extension of the DIIV dream-pop aesthetic — less guitar-focussed and reverb-drenched but rife with ambition
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6.0
83321
6.0 |
Q
Over 17 similar sounding tracks it becomes slightly soporific. Print edition only
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6.0
83414
6.0 |
The Skinny
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
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5.8
83316
5.8 |
Pretty Much Amazing
DIIV’s new double-album is morose and bloated, but its shortcomings are offset by a series of memorable hooks
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5.8
83366
5.8 |
Consequence Of Sound
Is the Is Are is almost better experienced in small doses, three or four songs at a time
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5.0
83559
5.0 |
Clash
While sweetened by a potent handful of emphatic guitar romps, DIIV’s latest record quickly overstays its welcome
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4.0
83560
4.0 |
Crack
Too indistinct to leave a lasting mark, this much-hyped second album risks getting lost in the mire
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4.0
83607
4.0 |
State
Is the Is Are is a parasitic record, boasting threadbare song writing haphazardly concealed with a cavalcade of ideas shamelessly mined from indie’s past
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4.0
83360
4.0 |
Tiny Mix Tapes
Though it may promise comfort, Is the Is Are is a false sanctuary
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4.0
83319
4.0 |
PopMatters
The Brooklyn-based band seems either unwilling or incapable of taking the artistic steps to make music that isn't just more of what they've done before
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