Zachary Cole Smith
Zachary Cole Smith | |
---|---|
![]() Smith performing with DIIV in April 2013 | |
Background information | |
Born | New York City, U.S. | November 7, 1984
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
|
Instrument(s) |
|
Years active | 2009–present |
Labels | Captured Tracks |
Member of | DIIV |
Formerly of | |
Website | diivnyc |
Zachary Cole Smith (born November 7, 1984) is an American musician best known for being the founder, frontman, and principal songwriter of the indie rock band
Early life and education
Smith was born in New York City on November 7, 1984.[3][4] His father, also named Zachary, is a musician and songwriter. His mother, Deborah E. MacIntyre, was a fashion editor for Vogue magazine.[citation needed]
Smith has played guitar since he was a small child. He started a short-lived band with future DIIV bandmate Andrew Bailey in high school. At the time, he considered music more of a hobby than a calling.[5]
Smith had disciplinary problems as a teenager and was often suspended during
Career
After leaving Hampshire College, Smith worked construction and landscaping jobs in Northampton. In New York City, he worked at Angelica Kitchen, an East Village vegan restaurant established in the 1970s. He became involved with New York's underground music scene through the artists and musicians that frequented the restaurant. In an interview with The Fader, he said “It was just something I knew how to do.” He began playing guitar in Soft Black around 2009, and after meeting Dustin Payseur he played drums for Beach Fossils in several gigs.[5] He left Beach Fossils to travel for a year and rejoined in 2010 as a guitar player for the band's tour.[4] Smith also played guitar on tour with the indie band Darwin Deez.[7]
Smith started focusing on writing music in 2010.[8] In the summer of 2011, he booked a show for a new band he called Dive and asked Andrew Bailey, Devin Ruben Perez and Colby Hewitt to join. The group renamed themselves DIIV, were signed by Captured Tracks, and released several singles. DIIV released their debut album Oshin in 2012.[4] Smith co-directed the music video for "Doused", which was released in September 2012.[9]
Smith directed the music video for Sky Ferreira's song "Omanko", which was released in December 2014.[10] In May 2015, Smith was featured in an episode of Noisey's "Under the Influence" series detailing the influence of krautrock on contemporary music.[11] DIIV released their second studio album, Is the Is Are, on February 5, 2016. DIIV's third album, Deceiver, was released October 4, 2019.
Modeling
Smith was signed by Re:Quest Model Management in the summer of 2013, and along with
Musical style and influences
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/DIIV_%40_the_Regency%2C_San_Francisco%2C_4-18-2013.jpg/220px-DIIV_%40_the_Regency%2C_San_Francisco%2C_4-18-2013.jpg)
Smith's work with DIIV has been described as krautrock, post-punk and shoegaze.[4][16]
Smith's favorite albums include Arthur Russell's Love Is Overtaking Me (2008), Red Krayola's The Parable of Arable Land (1967) and Faust's The Faust Tapes (1973). The songs on Oshin were influenced by German psychedelic bands such as Kluster, La Düsseldorf, Neu! and Can.[17] Additionally, Smith cited Nirvana and world music as sources of inspiration.[18] According to Smith, Is the Is Are was influenced by Elliott Smith and Royal Trux.[17]
Personal life
Smith was in a relationship with singer and model
Smith is a
On February 3, 2017, Smith announced he was checking in for "long-haul" inpatient treatment.[21]
On February 9, 2020, Smith married his girlfriend Dani Nelson. The ceremony was held at the
Bands
- Soft Black (guitarist 2009)
- Beach Fossils (drummer 2010, guitarist 2011–2012)
- Darwin Deez (guitarist 2010)
- DIIV (guitarist, vocals 2011–present)
- Launder (live guitarist 2019)
Discography
with DIIV
- Oshin (2012)
- Is the Is Are (2016)
- Deceiver (2019)
- Frog in Boiling Water (2024)
with Launder
- Pink Cloud EP (2018)
- Powder/Chew single (2019)
References
- ^ "Is the is Are by DIIV". iTunes. 5 February 2016.
- ^ Aubrey, Elizabeth (2019-07-24). "Listen to a hypnotic new single from DIIV as band announce return with new album, 'Deceiver'". me.com. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
- ^ Ferreira, Sky (November 7, 2014). "It's @lovealienzzz birthday". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-25. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e DeVille, Chris (July 28, 2014). "How Does It Feel: DIIV's Zachary Cole Smith Rolls On". Stereogum. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ a b c "What Happened to DIIV?".
- ^ Norris, John (June 2012). "Deep DIIV". Interview. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ "sxsw part 1: lowered expectations (andrew)". Darwin Deez. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- ^ a b c McDermott, Patrick D. (August 11, 2015). "What Happened To DIIV?". The Fader. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
- ^ "Premiere: DIIV Thunders Through 'Doused'". Rolling Stone. September 6, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
- Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
- ^ "Under The Influence - Krautrock". YouTube. May 22, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
- ^ Cowles, Charlotte (May 30, 2013). "Cara Delevingne Lands Saint Laurent Campaign". New York. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ Frank, Alex (July 1, 2013). "Zachary Cole Smith of DIIV Walked the Runway at Saint Laurent Paris". The Fader. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
- ^ Blanks, Tim (June 30, 2013). "Saint Laurent Spring 2014 Menswear Fashion Show: Runway Review". Style.com. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
- ^ Lambea, Julien (June 30, 2015). "Let's Go Surfing en Saint Laurent". GQ France (in French). Retrieved July 3, 2015.
- ^ a b Charles, Thomas (July 18, 2012). "DIIV's Zachary Cole Smith on Loving Nirvana, 'My So-Called Life'". Spin. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ a b Cohen, Ian (June 26, 2013). "Update: DIIV". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ "Interview: DIIV". berlinbeat. January 23, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- ^ "DIIV's Zachary Cole Smith talks sobriety and split from Sky Ferreira". NME. 30 August 2017.
- ^ "Tonight's Law & Disorder: Sept. 15, 2013". September 16, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ^ Smith, Zachary Cole (February 3, 2017). "So I guess..." Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-25. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- ^ "Instagram".
- ^ "Zola Weddings".
External links
- Zachary Cole Smith at Models.com