''Oshin'' is the debut studio album by American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
DIIV, released on June 26, 2012, by
Captured Tracks. The album was produced by frontman
Zachary Cole Smith
Zachary Cole Smith (born November 7, 1984) is an American musician, model and music video director, best known for being the founder, frontman, and principal songwriter of the indie rock band DIIV. He first began playing in bands like Soft Blac ...
.
Composition
Regarding the album's aesthetic and lyrical content, in comparison to its follow-up, ''
Is the Is Are'' (2016), frontman
Zachary Cole Smith
Zachary Cole Smith (born November 7, 1984) is an American musician, model and music video director, best known for being the founder, frontman, and principal songwriter of the indie rock band DIIV. He first began playing in bands like Soft Blac ...
reflected: "
'Oshin''was hiding a bit behind an image, behind a sound – the vocals being really textural, and a sort of ambient thing. I didn't want it to be about me as a person. The lyrics were almost like universal truths, not personal."
Release
In 2014, ''Oshin'' was briefly out of print due to legal issues regarding the original cover art. It was reissued in June 2015 with new artwork.
Reception
Critic Ian Cohen of ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' said, "''Oshin'' isn't just a gorgeous and unusually melodic
dream pop
Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...
record; it's an interesting experiment in whether a band based on voice/guitar/bass/drums can rely on the guitar to carry the song's meaning".
On lists of the top 50 albums of 2012, ''Oshin'' was listed 22nd by ''
Stereogum'' and 40th by ''Pitchfork''. In 2018, ''Pitchfork'' listed ''Oshin'' at number 26 on its list of the 30 best dream pop albums.
Track listing
All tracks written and produced by
Zachary Cole Smith
Zachary Cole Smith (born November 7, 1984) is an American musician, model and music video director, best known for being the founder, frontman, and principal songwriter of the indie rock band DIIV. He first began playing in bands like Soft Blac ...
.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Oshin''.
DIIV
* Devin Ruben Perez
* Andrew Bailey
*
Zachary Cole Smith
Zachary Cole Smith (born November 7, 1984) is an American musician, model and music video director, best known for being the founder, frontman, and principal songwriter of the indie rock band DIIV. He first began playing in bands like Soft Blac ...
* Colby Hewitt III
Additional musicians
* Ben Wolf (Ben Newman) – drums
Technical
* Daniel James Schlett – recording, mixing
* Nico Testa – engineering assistance
* Zachary Cole Smith – production
Artwork
*
Kiakshuk – cover illustration
* Kopapik Qaqyuarqyuk – back cover illustration
* Simeonie Kopapik – liner illustration
* Sandy Kim – band photo
Charts
References
{{Authority control
2012 debut albums
Captured Tracks albums
DIIV albums