DIIV started out as a solo recording project for Beach Fossils' Zachary Cole Smith.  Originally known as Dive (named after a 1990 Nirvana single), Smith kept the name, but changed the spelling, after learning of a pre-existing Belgian band already called Dive.

Around the same time as the name change, Smith added Andrew Bailey on guitar, Devin Ruben Perez on bass, and Colby Hewitt on drums.  A series of well-received singles on the Captured Tracks label (including "Sometime" and "Human") led up to the release of DIIV's 2012 debut full-length, Oshin, and its catchy lead single "How Long Have You Known?".

DIIV incorporates a host of late-'80s/early-'90s alt-rock influences into something original.  While many critics have been quick to lump the band in with the beach-pop that Captured Tracks is known for, the sound of DIIV is actually closer to Disintegration-era Cure and early Ride.  The bulk of Oshin is made up of instrumental passages reminiscent of those two bands, but new material debuted by DIIV at live shows in early 2013 have found Smith and company moving in a direction that is both noisier and more lyrically focused.