Zachary Cole Smith, the frontman for the celebrated New York-based indie group Diiv, candidly talks about his past struggles with drug addiction. “It was terrible,” admits the vocalist and guitarist, who found himself thrust into the limelight following his arrest, which wasn’t what he had aimed for. Smith, a one-time catwalk model who’s shared the limelight with the likes of Cara Delevingne and strutted his stuff at Paris Fashion Week, feels energised and positive as he queues up for a call with his other band members. They are preparing for an upcoming concert in Dublin and the launch of their fourth album, ‘Frog in Boiling Water,’ next May, which is the newest addition to their collection of dreamy, energetic alt pop. However, a look back at over a decade ago shows a much less bright time in the ex-model’s life.
In those days, Smith was engrossed in drug abuse and Diiv were on the verge of collapse. He was known to become emotionally overwhelmed on stage, causing fear among his friends and family that his openly professed admiration for the late Kurt Cobain could steer him down a somber path. The band Diiv takes its name after (and is pronounced the same as) the song ‘Dive’ by Nirvana.
September 13th, 2013 saw Smith hit his lowest point. The day before a highly anticipated gig at a popular industrial venue in New York, Smith and his then partner, the model and singer Sky Ferreira, were stopped by the police. The authorities found heroin and ecstasy in their car. This led to Smith being charged and sent to rehab. While all charges against Ferreira were subsequently dropped – the narcotics belonged to Smith – her modelling career took a severe hit.
In an interview with the Consequence website the next year, Smith expressed remorse for his actions. “I was just idiotic,” he confessed. “I messed up, it was entirely my doing, and I totally messed up my girlfriend’s life. She literally did nothing wrong but was caught up in this situation due to my recklessness. This scandal seriously tarnished her career because everyone started to think she was a drug addict, which is categorically untrue. The fact that I let her down like that is the part that hurts me the most.”
Diiv, led by him, are in a much improved state presently, eagerly anticipating their European expedition that entails their largest ever headline show in Ireland, at Vicar Street, happening this Thursday, 14th March. (Interestingly, Ferreira is performing in the same city just three days after). Smith, having faced his personal battles, confessed to Billboard in 2017 that he has left his past vices of drugs and alcohol “for life”. Diiv has subsequently produced a succession of remarkable albums, melding monochrome indie of Joy Division style with the indie dynamism of their much-loved shoegazers, My Bloody Valentine.
The vocalist perceives his journey from despair to rehabilitation as optimistic – and perhaps a beacon of hope to others in their individual struggles.
“The notion that others may find motivation in tales of recovery, realising that change is possible, is heartening,” Smith articulates. “We felt compelled to tackle this issue. It’s essential to consider that, despite the difficulties of addiction, it’s plausible to surmount such a lifestyle. It’s indeed demanding work and an ongoing journey. We hope our experiences might encourage someone else facing their own battles.”
Their latest record, Frog in Boiling Water, is expected to elevate Diiv’s standing to new heights. The album is characterised by their compelling recently released single, Brown Paper Bag – a finely crafted amalgamation of shoegaze guitars and the effortless cool of New York, akin to The Strokes.
The song created quite a noise when its video was released in late February. It features Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit introducing Diiv on Saturday Night Live, a stalwart of American comedy. Of course, it’s Durst – the band was introduced to the “knuckleheads’ knucklehead”, through mutual contacts in Los Angeles. The Saturday Night Live segment, however, is a clever fabrication by the band.
Diiv bear no grudge against Saturday Night Live. They do anticipate, however, that their video is likely to land them on the show’s infamous ‘naughty list’.
Smith offered a somewhat irreverent view towards their experience with SNL, suggesting the esteemed show represents a sort of dystopia to him. He expressed disbelief at how witnessing old clips from the show online transported him to a simpler time, which is more discordant in the current setting. The band’s bassist, Colin Caulfield, concurred with Smith, indicating that SNL seems to have lost its original charisma. He included other institutions in his criticism, wistfully remembering a time when unique identities were more evident in the media world.
Diiv, despite being in a generally positive position, do not seem to have reached the pinnacle of their success. Their recent album release was said to be a gruelling four-year journey that nearly spelled the end for the band. An entanglement of family ties, friendships, financial affairs, along with a mix of distrust, resentment, bruised egos, and nervous doubts factored into this challenging process.
Their guitarist, Andrew Bailey, highlighted the intricacies that come with managing a band, especially one that they rely on primarily for financial stability. The complicated dynamics of maintaining both professional relationships and friendships, as well as a shared creative project, can sometimes make decision-making a struggle.
Bailey also debunked the myth that creating excellent music is as simple as capturing sudden inspiration. The reality, he says, requires immense dedication and hard work. It’s not as straightforward as reputed post-rock band Slint, making a record-breaking album just by sitting and collaborating. He claimed such occurrences are more fictional than factual.
Their trip to Dublin has a semblance of a spiritual journey to it. It is, after all, the birthplace of global icon My Bloody Valentine, the dynamic indie rock band that played a significant role in influencing Diiv. Kevin Shields, the lead vocalist of My Bloody Valentine, was raised in Cabinteely, a quaint town in the southern part of Dublin. There are quite a few similarities between the two bands, going beyond simply their style of music. The turbulent period that preceded Diiv’s recent album mirrors the conflict-ridden duration that led to the creation of My Bloody Valentine’s iconic album “Loveless” in 1991. This album took years to produce and nearly led to the financial downfall of the record label. This serves as a poignant reminder of the fact that the path to extraordinary music often winds through challenging times. Smith observes, speaking of their reverence for Loveless, “We aimed to create a shoegaze record when we were working on ‘Deceiver’ in 2019. We earnestly tried to study Loveless, but concluded no one could recreate this record. The precision, the texture, the songwriting and arrangement. It is beyond perfect.” He pauses, a somber tone in his voice, “That band, and their record, have always been integral to us.”
Diiv is slated to perform at Vicar Street, Dublin, on Thursday, 14th of March. Their new single “Frog in Boiling Water” is set for release on Friday, the 24th of May.