I appreciated how the lyrics were more prominent in the mix and how the tone was crunchier and generally more aggressive compared to their previous records, which had a more laid-back and positive vibe. This new, more intense tone and momentum align well with the album's title, "Frog in Boiling Water," which I found fitting. Overall, it’s a solid project. At its worst, it's slightly above average shoe gaze, and at its best, it’s texturally intriguing shoe gaze with bursts of straightforward alternative rock, featuring clear, distinct vocals and melodies.
Really was expecting more from this release. I thought it was pretty uninventive and comfortable. It was somewhat easy listening, but with shoegaze, if you're not producing something a) unique or b) lyrically dense, then songs get lost in the background. I feel like this is one of their weaker records.
DIIV se mantienen en lo suyo, en tratar de traducir a un terreno más físico las canciones que nacieron del éter imaginario y la obsesión sónica para dar lugar al Loveless de My Bloody Valentine. Es una misión imposible, en la que además corren el riesgo de banalizar lo logrado en aquella quimera acústica o, también, de AORizarlo. Recordemos: es lo mismo a lo que jugaron Smashing Pumpkins en la mejor parte de su carrera.
Frog In Boiling Water, un disco surgido de la crisis personal de Zachary Chole Smith, reduce casi al mínimo varias de las cartas jugadas en anteriores ocasiones (los tonos post-punk, el gusto por el motorik) para dar paso al tono adusto, cariacontecido o directamente depresivo.… More
Beautiful piece of modern shoegaze / post-punk. It's crazy how DIIV is able to create such landscapes without having to rely so much in over the top pedals and sound effects.