Track & News: What’s DIIV Up To? What We (Think We) Know and What Remains a Mystery as They Drop Title Track for Upcoming Album ‘Frog in Boiling Water’

If you haven’t been following closely, DIIV —Andrew Bailey, Colin Caulfield, Ben Newman, and Zachary Cole Smith—have announced their fourth album, ‘Frog in Boiling Water’, which will be released on May 24th via Fantasy Records.

Following the announcement of the upcoming album, DIIV has already released tracks ‘Brown Paper Bag’, ‘Soul-Net’, ‘Everyone Out’ and, just this week, the title track ‘Frog in Boiling Water’. And so, this is where the story begins.

Chapter One: Soul-Net
‘Soul-Net’, the first single released from the upcoming album, made its debut on the conspiracy-laden website, Soul-Net.co, back in October 2023. As a “f*ck you” to some unnamed streaming services, the track was originally exclusive to the website, nestled within a 9-minute audio clip amidst a maze of half-formed musings on various conspiratorial themes. The site has since been “seized”, however, you can still get a sense of its charm from the Soul-Net Instagram page.

For those unaware, the image displayed on the site is a parody of the FBI’s seizure notice, which they use to announce their control over dark net sites such as Pirate Bay.

So, what is Soul-Net? It appears to be DIIV’s interpretation of a dystopian pro-capitalism brand promoting an ambiguous promise of an “improved life”, albeit, in exchange for your attention and ignorance. Rumours have emerged that during the EU/UK tour, flyers advertising Soul-Net were being mysteriously handed out at venues, accompanied by various propaganda clips playing throughout the show.

Chapter Two: FIBW.org
Earlier this week DIIV shared the title track for the upcoming album by way of another mysterious website, FIBW.org.

Featuring everything from frontman Zachary’s 2013 mugshot to a screenshot of the well-known conspiracy enthusiast Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), the surface of FIBW.org seems like a playful pursuit of knowledge for fans. With endless links to explore, it gradually reveals connections to the real world, including a comprehensive article detailing the application of Lavender AI (the machine that uses AI to predict the movements and target humans for military strikes), a job site for private security protection agents and a link to “5 of the best french soup recipes”.

The further you delve into the labyrinth, the more confusing it gets. It becomes inundated with more nonsensical musings about Soul-Net and a “hidden message” warning against trusting DIIV, accusing them of capitulating to the capitalist behemoth. Yet amidst the chaos, there are scattered mentions and leads to numerous WikiLeaks reports and genuinely informed articles.

Among the myriad pages, one is adorned with screenshots of a genuine court document spotlighting specifications of a military uniform dubbed “Flame Resistant Organizational Gear” (FROG). This detail is particularly intriguing given DIIV’s announcement of limited merch, khaki button-ups made by Dickies themselves. In their post yesterday, they declared that wearing this F.I.B.W “uniform” signifies “both a shield and a declaration, a symbol of resistance and a promise of liberation“.

There is a page that offers sage advice on survival tactics, while another boldly lists board members of various military defence and oil corporations. Another page states, “You don’t believe military generals when they say they’re fighting for freedom, why believe them when they retire and tell you aliens are real?”, for anyone still thinking about the UFO whistleblower testimonies from last year.

Before writing up about this latest release, I delved deep into the website, searching for any hidden Easter Eggs that might hint at what’s to come. I combed through the HTML source code, hoping to uncover concealed messages, but my efforts were in vain. Disheartened, I returned to the now “seized” Soul-Net.co site on a whim, and to my surprise, there it was, nestled within the source code:

.– . .-.. -.-. — — . / -… .- -.-. -.- .-.-.- / .– .. – …. .. -. / – …. . / ..-. .. .-.. . … / – …. . .-. . / .. … / … — — . – …. .. -. –. / ..-. — .-. / -.– — ..- .-.-.-

Translation: “WELCOME BACK. WITHIN THE FILES THERE IS SOMETHING FOR YOU.”

Despite my best efforts, this cryptic mention remains the lone breadcrumb in a maze of mystery.

Which “files” DIIV? The source code files? The Wikileaks file mentioned here? Perhaps the next single to be released is named ‘Straw Glass and Bottle’?

Chapter 3: The Theories
Now, I am not the only discoverer of the Morse code clue, several theories are circling the DIIV Reddit community, ranging from speculation about an ARG (Augmented Reality Game) to genuine concerns about the band’s well-being.

It is safe to interpret Soul-Net as a representation of the conglomerate of companies that exert control over everything from the media to the military. F.I.B.W, on the other hand, emerges as a resistance movement against them (and DIIV themselves).

I’m unsure whether the deeper you delve into the site, the more reasonable the conspiracies become, intertwining with verified documents and informed articles, or if I’ve simply convinced myself that they do.

Regarding the hidden Morse code, I eventually ceased my search. After all, given the complexities of the situation, we absolutely cannot trust DIIV.

Chapter 4: The Album
Moving as far away from my own ramblings as possible, ‘Frog in Boiling Water‘, both the name and themes of the album, reference “The Boiling Frog” in Daniel Quinn’s book ‘The Story of B’. The band explains, “If you drop a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will of course frantically try to clamber out. But if you place it gently in a pot of tepid water and turn the heat on low, the frog will sink into a tranquil stupor, exactly like one of us in a hot bath, and before long, with a smile on its face, it will unresistingly allow itself to be boiled to death.”

“We understand the metaphor to be one about a slow, sick, and overwhelmingly banal collapse of society under end-stage capitalism, the brutal realities we’ve maybe come to accept as normal. That’s the boiling water and we are the frogs. The album is more or less a collection of snapshots from various angles of our modern condition which we think highlights what this collapse looks like and, more particularly, what it feels like.”

It’s worth noting that frontman Zachary played a pivotal role in co-founding United Musicians and Allied Workers, advocating for a fundamental shift in the entertainment industry. These principles, centring on dismantling hierarchy, fostering equal participation, and embracing collaboration, now form a core ethos of DIIV. Their dedication to instigating change is clear, and perhaps their impact will extend far beyond the realm of music.

So, what’s our take on this? Is it an expansive art piece, a sincere message (warning) to the masses, or something a little unhinged? Could it be meticulously crafted marketing for the upcoming album, or maybe a blend of everything?

DIIV is set to embark on their headline tour across the US in June, with additional excitement brewing for their performance alongside Fountaines DC in London scheduled for November.

Tour Dates
6/6 – Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst
6/7 – San Francisco, CA- Regency Ballroom
6/8 – Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post
6/10 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
6/12 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall
6/13 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Hall
6/14 – Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall
6/16 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
6/18 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
6/19 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
6/20 – San Antonio, TX – Aztec Theater
6/21 – Austin, TX – Emo’s
6/23 – El Paso, TX – The Lowbrow Palace
6/24 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater
6/25 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
6/27 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park
6/29 – Los Angeles, CA – Wiltern Theatre
7/15 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
7/16 – Washington, DC – Howard Theatre
7/17 – Richmond, VA – The National
7/19 – Charleston, SC – The Music Farm
7/20 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues
7/21 – Miami, FL – The Ground
7/23 – Tampa, FL – The Orpheum
7/25 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre
7/27 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall Ballroom
7/28 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
7/30 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
7/31 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre
8/2 – Toronto, ON – The Concert Hall
8/4 – Montreal, QC – Osheaga Music and Arts Festival
8/5 – Boston, MA – Royale
8/7 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount
11/22 – London, UK – Alexandra Palace with Fontaines D.C.

Photo Credit: Louie Kovatch