DIIV Bassist Called Out Over Hateful Comments On 4chan (UPDATED)

The bassist of New York-based rock outfit DIIV, Devin Ruben Perez, has been called out over a series of posts made on infamous website 4chan in which he, posting under the name Devin-Chan, wrote racist, sexist and homophobic slurs.

In the posts, for which Perez himself has since confirmed he was responsible, the bassist makes such remarks as labelling Perfect Pussy frontwoman Meredith Graves a "bitch", that he finds Grimes "physically repulsive", and that he agrees that Ariel Pink is "kind of" a racist and misogynist, but "in an endearing way".

In assorted other comments, he labels Jake Gyllenhaal a "faggot", drops the N-bomb to describe fellow muso Zomby, and throws in a pretty flat anti-Semitic joke. You can see a full rundown of his thoughts at the Sexism In Music Tumblr, through which the issue was initially raised, resulting in a tidal wave of criticism directed towards both Perez individually and DIIV as a unit.

After the fledgling Tumblr posted the screenshots of Perez's comments — and early scepticism over whether the poster in question was even actually the bassist — DIIV frontman Zachary Cole Smith took to Twitter to distance the band from the remarks and express his bewilderment and anger towards his bandmate, as well as towards those attempting to defend the use of terms historically steeped in oppression and subjugation of other people.

Smith eventually took the discussion off Twitter, imploring those who wish to have a legitimate discussion about the issue to email him directly as it became clear that he was being subjected to his own fair share of negative feedback.

Smith's partner, Sky Ferreira, also stepped into the fray in an attempt to stem the backlash, after noting that she thinks it is "a shame" that Twitter has become "just another 'source' to get attention & manipulate someone else's words and bully people".

UPDATE (4.30pm AEST): Smith has returned to Twitter in the past hour to offer a final impassioned clarification regarding his position on Perez's comments in the wake of consistent abuse since speaking out originally. He posted the following to Twitter in a series of tweets that we've compiled for brevity and ease of reading below.

"My only intention from the very beginning of this has been to condemn each and every one of Devin's sexist, racist, and homophobic remarks," Smith wrote. "80% of the response I got to my initial reaction criticized me for neglecting to account for their context. I said context was irrelevant. I got over 300 emails from strangers + friends, many harshly criticizing me for 'throwing Devin under the bus', or betraying him etc etc ... I maintained that the context of these words can't strip them of their violence. It seemed many people felt bigotry is OK if it's on 4chan.

"In a text to my publicist that became a 'statement' of sorts, I mentioned 4chan as being the context of his words. Not to excuse them but rather to draw ppl's attention to the culture of the site, and the violent language and ideologies its users have numbed themselves to. But it seems by taking your criticisms to heart, examining the context of Devin's words, I've pointed the gun back at myself.

"So I just want to be clear: I mention the context of Devin's words because so many of you spoke so loudly demanding that I do. But I don't believe in ANY way that it lessens the violence of his words. What he did is flatly WRONG. I will not tolerate bigotry anywhere. I'm speaking publicly about it because I want to make it clear to everyone, more clear than anthing, that I DO NOT CONDONE Devin's behavior. I'm disgusted and deeply upset by the bullying I've experienced today. I tried my best to be open, honest, and available. I just want to make music and make people happy. I don't want this to kill the band I've worked so hard at building."