In 1986, the ambient composer Harold Budd was introduced to the Cocteau Twins’ Robin Guthrie with the goal of teaming for a TV project. Or maybe it was […]
DIIV: Shoegaze 2022
Join us New Year’s Eve for a special In Sheep’s Clothing set supporting DIIV.
Shoegaze and dream pop have been making their way back into our collective consciousness. Over the pandemic, many of us tuned back into the calming drones of My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, A.R. Kane, Cocteau Twins, and Stereolab. In Sheep’s Clothing even hosted multiple sold out nights at our Neuehouse residency this past summer listening to 4AD, Factory Records, shoegaze, and space rock records with a welcome audience that seemed to crave (even need) these sounds.
It’s revealing that such sonically heavy music can provide solace during these turbulent times; you’d think the opposite would be true given the popularity of ambient. This Rolling Stone review of Loveless comes to mind: “despite the record’s intense ability to disorient – this is real do-not-adjust-your-set stuff – the effect is strangely uplifting. Loveless oozes a sonic balm that first embraces and then softly pulverizes the frantic stress of life.”
Los Angeles-based shoegaze-inspired outfit DIIV, founded by Zachary Cole Smith, are masters of conjuring a singular sound. With guitars drowned in reverb, vocals nearly indecipherable, drum grooves repeated to a motorik click, their music takes you deep into a layered sonic world steeped in nostalgia. While the influence of early shoegaze bands like Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine is clear, Smith and band’s sound is altogether their own and crafted from various influences beyond rock from around the world and across the decades.
You can hear bits of early 70’s psychedelia, Nirvana, British C86 cassette bands, Neu!, and Malian guitar in their music — yet still there’s an unmistakable essence to their music that’s uniquely and immediately DIIV. Listening to their music live on a massive sound system is an experience all of its own.
This weekend DIIV will be ringing in the New Year with three nights of performances at the Lodge Room in Highland Park. In Sheep’s Clothing staff will be joining for the final night on New Year’s Eve with DJ sets between bands and closing.
Given the current global climate around the pandemic, we encourage everyone to get tested before attending and stay at home if you’re feeling at all sick. Vaccination cards will be required for entry and masks encouraged.
Tickets are available here: https://lodgeroomhlp.com/shows/diiv/
As a teaser for the show, below we’ve shared some of our favorite DIIV tracks across the years.
