It’s been a minute since we’ve heard from the Gainsville, Florida band Dikembe. Dikembe came up as part of the so-called emo revival in the early days of the last decade, and they immediately came off as one of the goofier, less serious bands from that whole pact. That’s changed. Today, Dikembe have come out with a new surprise album called Muck. It’s the first music that the band has released since the 2016 LP Hail Something. This time around, they’re serious.
Dikembe frontman Steven Grey wrote the songs on Muck after going through intense therapy following the death of his mother. According to a press release, the album is all about dealing with your own depression while steering right into it.
Muck is the first album that Dikembe have recorded since the addition of guitarist Andrew Anaya, from You Blew It! and Pool Kids. On first listen, the band is going for a big, tidal sound here. The guitars walk the line between angular and anthemic, and while there are occasional bursts of pop-punk melody, it’s more on the shoegazey post-hardcore end of things. Stream the album below.
Muck is out now on Skeletal Lightning.
