Is The Water is the debut album by Swiss trio divr. After being in the jazz scene for quite a while, they released this album, which showcases their sui generis playing style. They play largely acoustic improvisations, which loop without ever quite repeating. This album pushes and transcends the boundary and limit of temporal manipulation in music. All the tracks on this record feature an intricate amalgamation of polyrhythms, polymeters, and mind-boggling syncopation, which are melded with haunting piano ostinatos and thundering bass grooves. Every track seems to evolve into a unique world of its own temporal laws, which, apart from the artists, is due to phenomenal mixing and post-production by Dan Nicholls (of Y-OTIS).

“We play in multi-directional time. You could hear three different timings, but on the other hand it’s together. We land in the same place. It’s not done with math, it’s more about entering a flow”– is how this trio describe themselves. divr is Philipp Eden on keys, Jonas Ruther on drums and Raphael Walser on bass. They have a free approach to playing time. divr doesn’t refer to a straight meter throughout a whole piece. But they play around a straight meter; this is evident in their debut album. They never repeat something exactly how they played it the first time; rather, It develops with every turn and morphs into something that the members intended. There is always a tiny difference, and a subtle but constant evolution is underway.

The album opens with “As Of Now”, which starts with a two-chord vamp, and the rhythm changes with every passing moment. Like many other tracks on this album, the bass has an organic “timbre”.

In Eastern philosophy, “Upeksha” means removing all the boundaries and discriminations to achieve sublime unity where there is no self and no others. The second track, “Upeksha”, creates a similar yet ambiguous state of being.

The next track, “Supreme Sweetness”, starts with a free-time jazz-like interplay among the members. After a brief moment of tight and dissonant section, the track delves into a laid-back rhythm and ends with a serrated improvisation.

“42” opens with the cacophonous yet mesmerizing playing of the band, embellished with John Cage-like unusual sounds from other instruments. From the middle to the end, listeners are bombarded with improvisational playing of each member in their own style, still preserving the coherence required for a single track.

“VHS Tomorrow” is the shortest song on this album. Haunting piano chords open this track and continue throughout with the sound of birds chirping in the background. Other members join in with their apparent sporadic playing.

“Tea High” oozes with the flavours of traditional post-bop and post-rock, with an ample amount of experimentation. The thumping bass drum and upright bass with a vamping piano chord drive this song to the end.

“All I Need” starts like a traditional jazz standard where the groove pulls you like a low tide into the choral improvisation of the whole band. This track rediscovers the Radiohead track of the same name, and it sounds like the trio’s own brainchild. They also rework Broadcast’s sublime ‘Echo’s Answer’ with the twists and turns of impeccable groove, lush chords, ethereal melody and driving bass work.

“A Glass Is No Glass Is a Glass” is this album’s last track. This track is more about the soundscape than an exhibition of technicality. This song, with long sustained chords, bass playing and rimshots, allows the listeners to settle down on a cushion of the gossamer tone of each instrument.

Is The Water is an exhilarating album that plays with the listener’s sense of harmony, melody and rhythm. The push and pulls are like a high and a low tide throughout the entirety of this album, neither feeling too much nor leaving listeners wanting. It will be a cathartic experience for any ardent or casual jazz enthusiast.