Zachary Cole Smith Says DIIV’s Last Album “Trivializes” Sobriety

In February, DIIV’s Zachary Cole Smith announced on Instagram that he was checking himself into “long-haul inpatient treatment.” Prior to the post, he had been candid in interviews about his history of drug use. In 2013, he was arrested on misdemeanor charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance. He voluntarily spent two weeks in rehab, where he said he overcame his heroin addiction. Now, in his first interview since completing treatment earlier this year, he has opened up about his sobriety.

Specifically, Smith revealed that he wasn’t sober while making DIIV’s 2016 album Is the Is Are. The album tackled themes of addiction and was written largely after his previous stint in rehab. In his new interview with The Denver Post, Smith expressed regret for how he approached the subject on the album. “What I did on the last record really trivializes what people go through,” he said. “To be like, ‘Yep! I’m sober! Easy. Here’s a record about that.’ Getting sober and staying sober is [expletive] hard. It’s [expletive] painful.” He also opened up about attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings prior to shows while touring with DIIV.

Smith said that he hopes to approach DIIV’s next album by writing honestly about his experiences with addiction and sobriety. “It’s easy to project an image on an album,” he said. “But what if I just give them my actual self?” Read the entire interview here.

DIIV are currently on tour through May. Smith released a cover of (Sandy) Alex G’s “Icehead” earlier in April. Revisit Pitchfork’s 2016 feature “All Apologies: DIIV’s Zachary Cole Smith Returns From the Brink,” which included a discussion with Smith about rehab and addiction.

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