''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

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

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Oshin''.

DIIV

* Devin Ruben Perez * Andrew Bailey *

* 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