"King" by Dikembe (Inter-Review)

Hey, everyone!  HAPPY HALLOWEEN!  Today we thankfully don’t have any tricks, but it is definitely a treat that I’ll be talking about the new EP, “King” by the emo/punk band Dikembe, from “basically” Gainesville, Florida.  The current lineup of Dikembe members includes: 

Steven Gray: Vocals, Guitar

Scott Carr: Guitar

Randy Reddell: Bass

David Bell: Drums

Thankfully, Mickey, of Fuzzy Slippers and Naive Nature, reached out by sharing an Instagram story post from Dikembe that stated they were looking for people to help do press to promote this new release.  I had never done a super deep dive into their music, for no particular reason, but of course my first thought was “I might be able to work with the ‘Scottie Spliffen’ band???  Fuck yeah, dude!”  I mean that in the silliest way possible, in all reality, I’d hate to shrink them down and just simply put them in a box as if that song is all they’ve done and they’re just a one-hit-wonder.  That couldn’t be further from the truth.  Dikembe has hits and hits for DAYS!  I am so grateful that they are trusting me with their new release, and I’ll be damned if I don’t make them proud.  This EP is incredible, so let’s jump right in.

Truck:

This EP begins, and it knows exactly how to hook me: a short, angsty acoustic opening track.  I loved this song from the first time I sat down and listened to this EP.  The strums of the acoustic are rough and partially muted, the vocals are mumbled and emotionally detached with a slight amount of reverb following them.  The lyrics begin with:

"I was sitting in a parking lot

when I got in the way

of a truck that wasn’t looking

for my visible frame”

I love the word choice of this opening in-particular; the visual of someone sitting, stationary, and then blaming themselves for being in the way, as if it isn’t entirely the truck driver’s fault.  It is probably very silly for me to go super in-depth for a song that is about getting hit by a truck, but if I’ve learned anything about emo music, it’s that the deepest songs are all about getting run over by various vehicles.  So, in-depth we go!  

“Felt my back start to buckle

Life should flash before my eyes

But all that I could think about was

What I had just done prior”

The first verse continues after the impact and offers the narrator no clarity or comfort as he believes his back is breaking and life is ending.  No real life events flashing before his eyes, until it is revealed in the following stanza,

“I was screaming in a crowded room

For a couple dozen kids

Who I might have convinced that there’s

Something better than this”

The only “life” that the narrator has seemingly lived is one of small gigs for mediocre crowds.  This portion actually stumped me a little bit.  I think, similarly to the opening, there is a dichotomy between the words being spoken and the intended meaning, there’s a disconnect or an uncertainty of it all.  I don’t think Dikembe is trying to sit here and say “all these shows we play are stupid and we hate our fans and music actually sucks”, not at all.  But, as a very small musician, I can definitely relate to a bit of frustration in the repetitive, uphill battle of gaining traction and building a fanbase.  But, I really do like how it seems to switch up and acknowledge the power in what they are doing, the power of performance, and how easily it can change someone’s entire worldview and inspire them to do great things.  Maybe some of these kids will grow up and be chasing the dream of fame and fortune with their terrible music, or some of them will find their own path and do whatever makes them feel fulfilled and gives their life purpose.  I love the idea of life flashing before your eyes and realizing that there wasn’t a whole lot of life lived to begin with, but honing in on the importance of the work that WAS done, and trying to find the silver lining of it all.  The next few lines continue with this idea, and it takes it a step further by acknowledging that, for better or worse, all our life decisions have brought us to this exact moment. 

“But if I made some differences

Then I will never know

If my body is a crescent

underneath this back tow”

I think it’s morbid, lovely, and hilarious the way the vocal performance displays a lackadaisical view of the situation, kind of like a “well, it is what it is, I guess!”  The visual of a body crumbling into a crescent shape is a masterpiece metaphor within this song’s context.  A crescent shape can often represent growth, changes, or new beginnings.  Maybe the truck hitting the narrator is finally a wake up call to change their lifestyle; or even less than that, maybe it’s just simply a reminder to acknowledge how far they’ve come and to take a breath and appreciate it.  The song ends with a very funny interaction between the narrator and the truck driver.  The truck driver checks in to see if the person they hit is okay, and that narrator simply responds “Yea, but you ran me over with your truck.”  and just like that, we move on to the second track.

Haymakers:

We move on from the acoustic guitar and are quickly greeted with the full band.  The drums beat hard, the guitar plays a shrilly riff, and the bass is bumping.  The vocals are more pronounced and projected this time around, adjusting for the louder instrumentals.  

“I need to stop throwing haymakers around

‘Cause everyone in arms reach is starting to catch one now

Just to stop lashing out, I’d need a tourniquet,

Brave head, thick skin, and maybe two less fists”

The lyrics of this song revolve around the simple and relatable idea of feeling like you’ve hurt everyone around you and can’t do anything to stop it.  Believe it or not, I’m not much of a fighter, so I did opt to look into what a haymaker is; it’s defined as a heavy blow, as far as I’m aware it isn’t a specific type of punch or technique.  Maybe you all knew that already, but check me out, learning something new every day.  The impulsivity and aggression that comes from throwing out damaging swings with no direction or rhyme or reason is surely going to cause some friendly-fire.  The narrator feels like they need to be physically restrained because they can’t control themselves and are getting fed up with their behavior and how it affects their loved ones.  

“Who’s next in the rolodex?

‘Cause I’m in the solar plexus

I’m making messes out of every single planet I touch

So keep my guts in check. Please lay my ego to rest

‘Cause I’m making messes out of everything.

Honestly it’s too much”

The chorus kicks in, using some really incredible play-on-words by including “solar plexus” and relating that to the solar system of every planet.  There are a lot of things to break down in this stanza.  First, for those younglings out there, a rolodex is something that stores contact information like phone numbers, emails, home addresses, etc.  The solar plexus is something that I definitely NEVER learned about in school (but thank God I know that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell).  A plexus is a network of nerves, and the solar plexus is, in layman’s terms, the pit of the stomach.  I love the combination and word-association of the solar plexus to the planets (as I previously mentioned), as well as following that up by tying the solar plexus to guts.  I’d also like to hone in on the word choice of “guts”.  I like that, depending on how you interpret it within the context of the song, it could either be referring to guts in the sense of butterflies in the stomach or uneasiness and anxiety; or, it could be trying to say “who gave me the audacity to throw all these punches?”  I like to believe it’s a mix of both.  

“I’m a bit worse for wear but I swear I’ve worn it worse

Somewhere between my own arc and an aquatic hearse

We’ll let the tide in and shed it like some dead skin

Bread crumbs through an old mess”

The first line of this stanza is easily my favorite lyric of this song.  It’s a really simple line, easy alliteration, but I’m a sucker for that.  It is poignant and relatable, absolutely, but so effective in conveying the headspace the narrator is in.  After the previous stanzas about all the messes made, it seems there may be a slight adjustment in perspective.  Maybe some time has passed, or the fog has cleared temporarily, just enough for them to acknowledge that it might be bad now, but it can always get worse.  A little peek behind the curtain of CD-ROM Rabbit Hole: when I write my reviews, I have my Google Docs up, the band’s Bandcamp page, and a tab for miscellaneous googling.  Something that is so fun about writing music reviews, especially ones with very articulate songwriters, is that I will often be researching the most random things, in the event that I am missing very crucial and blatant information.  Now that you know that, try to picture my dumb ass googling “aquatic hearse” and actually expecting to find some explanation of what the hell that is supposed to mean.  If Google can’t save me, I must save myself.  To be caught somewhere between an arc and an aquatic hearse feels like a very inventive way of saying a rock and a hard place…maybe?  The way I’m (tentatively) interpreting it is “arc” as in some sort of character arc, like the narrator is trying to decide if change and growth is the correct path.  Or the alternative, an aquatic hearse.  Once again, not even a slight idea of what that means or is a metaphor for.  Honestly, every time I hear “aquatic hearse” in this song, I think about that stupid titanic submarine.  Sometimes I hear “aquatic horse” which makes me think of the seahorse episode of Spongebob.  Then, if I try to stop thinking silly about it, I think about jumping off of bridges or tying cinder blocks to your feet (morbid, right?  Silly or morbid, those are my only two modes).  I think maybe there is a conversation to be had about a person’s potential redemption arc, as well.  After all the destruction the narrator has caused, do they have what it takes to improve themselves?  Is it even worth it?  Do they deserve to grow and live a happy life after everything they’ve done?  Or is it just easier and better for everyone else if they just disappeared and dropped dead?  It really is a cripplingly sad game of tug of war.  Maybe my mental health is just worse than I thought, but I definitely remember times where I’ve had all these exact thoughts, it’s not fun.  Despite the depressing, self-sabotaging aspects of this song (you’re listening to an emo band, what else did you expect?) It is incredibly catchy and memorable, an absolutely great song to scream along to.  

Vice Grip:

Just to make sure I wasn’t missing anything, I did look up “vice grip” to see if it was a play on words or if I was stupid somehow (I was, I am, and I will continue to be).  Well, I was reminded that there is a specific type of pliers called vise-grips, so I’m glad that I felt the need to research something so trivial (coming from someone who used to be an independent contractor that was terrible at his job and didn’t understand power tools) because it did end up being useful information.  The title and the opening of the song set the scene pretty well, replacing the word “vise” with vice, of course being another word for, essentially, a bad habit.  I wasn’t able to find the original source of this audio, but the song opens with a lo-fi sample of someone speaking about the symptoms and effects on loved ones from alcoholism.  A swell begins, ready to initiate a dark and somewhat slow guitar riff.  Recurring sounds of audio glitching and static are present throughout the song, and a subtle addition of shakers really add to the vibe of an old television set; it sounds like an alcohol-induced haze from a dad on his recliner watching TV.  The vocals, melancholy and small, begin with the lyrics, “You could drift in a cloud that’s not as soft as it seems, ‘cause a single misstep means a bend in the beam and then you’re slipping.”  I really love Dikembe’s commitment to the bit throughout their lyrics; this will come up again later in the song, but I love the clever references to working in construction.  The song is called “Vice Grip” after all.  The opening lyrics paint a perfect visual of walking on the framework of a to-be skyscraper, head in the clouds but one slight mistake and it’s game over.  

“Then all at once

You feel it

Hits like a brick to the neck

Lungs in a vice grip

And you’d leave it all if you could

Toss open wounds to the woods

But you’re only carbon and current

So cut the shit, kid”

The chorus blows everything up with an explosive expression of rage.  It goes hand-in-hand, but adding the line “hits like a brick to the neck” goes along perfectly with the temporary construction worker metaphor, followed by “lungs in a vice grip”.  I found the line “toss open wounds to the woods” interesting because I couldn’t quite put my finger on its meaning.  This is embarrassing because it’s so goofy, but my IMMEDIATE reaction was “okay okay, ‘woods’, yeah we’re still on this construction metaphor, probably talking about lumber.”  And I am audibly laughing and cringing at myself as I write that.  BUT, once I actually decided to use my fully-developed cognitive mind, it made me think of the phrases “throw caution to the wind” and “thrown to the wolves”.  Regardless of the writer’s intention, I think the meaning of both these idioms are applicable within the context of the song’s lyrics.  To throw caution to the wind, pretty obvious, just means disregarding any potential risk or consequences to impulsive and reckless actions.  To be thrown to the wolves, I feel is also pretty obvious, means you’re up against an intense battle that you’ll probably lose, with no help or defense.  Both of these could definitely be used and interpreted in a way that relates to someone struggling with sobriety or some sort of internal demons.  These two phrases feel like opposite sides of the same coin, and we’re right back between a rock and a hard place.  On one hand, an addict could give in and not care about the consequences of their actions; on the other hand, trying to stay get clean and sober is obviously an incredibly hard thing to do, and in a lot of unfortunate cases the person has already lost most, if not all, of their loved ones and support, and it can feel incredibly isolating, lonely, and terrifying to deal with that reality and try to pick up the pieces and hold them all together again.  I’d like to take a super brief moment to just say that I am not someone who has struggled with any sort of serious addiction, I really am not the person that should be speaking definitively or in any sort of absolutes, and I do not mean to offend or condescend to anyone that ever has or is dealing with anything involving substance abuse.  It’s a very touchy subject with a lot of nuance that I’m really not at any liberty to give my two cents about.  Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk where I prove to you that I don’t know shit about shit!  In between the chorus and the following verse, the bass slows it down with some cool lines, allowing the verse to mellow out a bit before the burst of the chorus.  

“It’s harsh to say but you made it this way

Could have pieced it together

But you held it at arm's length

Till it decayed and crawled away

So kick every rock in hell

Until it feels like remission

Build the bones up in your shell

Like that was all that was missing

But in a constant state

Of keeping the cracks at bay

It starts to sink straight into my skin

That this might just be the way it is”

I’m combining the next two stanzas because I think they go hand-in-hand, but it is worth noting that there is another chorus between these two portions.  The first stanza here literally states that it’s harsh, and it is.  I have two different interpretations of these bits; one being that the “you” in question is the narrator speaking to themselves, similar to previous songs with themes of making irreparable damages to themselves and their loved ones.  Another interpretation I have is that the narrator is actually speaking to another person directly.  Perhaps, this could be a family member of an addict, which I think plays more of a role in the bridge, maybe acknowledging a genetic predisposition that is now affecting a child of an addict.  The verse is talking about how someone had the power to fix things but chose to continue going down the path of pain and destruction, and it’s all self-inflicted, but there were also some casualties along the way.  They took too long to get their shit in order and now people are resenting them and distancing themselves.  My idea of being at a higher risk of alcoholism due to your genes was prompted specifically from the ending lines “it starts to sink straight into my skin that this might just be the way it is”.  Of course, the word choice of “skin” could also be more of the nose in referring to any sort of injectable drug as it goes into the bloodstream.  The bridge continues the targeted aggression, most blatantly by saying “kick every rock in hell”.  That line is followed by “until it feels like remission”, remission of course being a decrease in severity of a serious pain or disease, but it can also be a forgiveness of sins, which fits in perfectly with the inclusion of hell prior.  Definitely a heavy listen, but the instrumentals really exemplify the ups-and-downs that come with such serious subject matter.  It’s definitely a great song and very well thought-out, and despite its intensity, it’s still an enjoyable listen.  

Plant My Bones:

Right off the bat, this song has the classic pop-punk/midwest-emo vocal stylings, erratic and somewhat whiney (no disrespect intended, I’m a retired Warped Tour attendee, I have no room to criticize).  I think “Truck” and “Plant My Bones” are my definitive favorite songs on the EP (at this exact moment in time) with a very heavy emphasis on “King” in the third slot (but this entire release is absolutely incredible and you should listen to it in full about eight-thousand times, minimum).  The distorted guitar riff in the intro is also peak midwest-emo and reeled me right in.  

“Construct a cabin made out of dead skin

Plant my bones inside the dirt

Grow into something worth a shit

Stop longing for the worst

Grow a garden out of old regrets

Carve a path for something new

Lined with carefully placed breadcrumbs

That might just tear my brain in two”

I love the opening lyrics, constructing a picture of nature through emotional metaphors.  In my mind, I picture a Hansel and Gretel type of fantasy land, but as this haven gets closer, the façade starts to crack and it’s revealed to be a decaying cesspool manifested by negative feelings and perspectives.  “Construct a cabin made out of dead skin” makes me think of Evil Dead or The Texas Chain Saw Massacre franchises (happy Halloween!).  I really resonate with the couplet of “plant my bones inside the dirt, grow into something worth a shit”, with a bit of wishing to be dead and also feeling more useful as a source of nutrients for worms and plants than you do as a living, breathing person.  After that, the lyrics feel like the aftermath of a pity party; after feeling sorry for yourself, when the dramatics have subsided enough for you to just start self-loathing and hating yourself for being so “woe is me” about everything.  This portion, “grow a garden out of old regrets, carve a path for something new”, also oddly reminds me of “the path to hell is paved with good intentions” (the jackass writing this review is full of common sayings today, huh?)  But it feels like that phrase in reverse, in a way?  As it literally says in the song, let something better come from all this negative.  

“Leave it to me

To cause a scene

That not a single soul will notice

And I alone will ever see

But I can’t stop staring”

The chorus kicks in with a consistent energy, continuing this trend of private melodrama and self-pity.  Even if there was a public breakdown, who would even be around to care enough?  It’s like getting to a point of frustration and hysteria where all you can do is scream and make disgusting faces at yourself in the mirror, like an absolutely insane car crash that you can’t look away from.  I hope I’m not just crazy, but hopefully some of you can relate to those types of meltdowns where it is so unhinged that you feel like you’re just being that crazy and intense for the sake of gaining attention or sympathy, even if it’s just from yourself.  Does that make any sense?  Or should I just check myself into the crisis center again?  Anyway…

“The author was laid up 

And stayed hidden away

Building walls like a coward

Out of prose and pen names

And if someday, he grows some thicker skin

He’ll maybe rework his compass

Find his way to something”

I love this verse.  I’m an absolute sucker for metaphors about authors.  I don’t know what it is about it, and I know it’s a horribly problematic trope, but I’ll admit that I still get a kick out of the tortured artist and reclusive author clichés.  If an author is “hidden away” or “building walls like a coward”, I’m on board!  The subject of this verse is hiding their thoughts and feelings behind pen and paper, using a pseudonym to hide the truth of their reality, so even if someone were to read it, they’ll feel safe and isolated in their anonymity.  It feels like the author is scared to make any meaningful connections, for fear of rejection or ridicule.  But lacking human interaction is destined to result in hollow and one-dimensional characters, which will perpetuate the fear of people criticizing the work, especially if the only reference point for writing comes from the author’s personal and specific experiences and anecdotes.  Throughout this  EP, there are plenty of references to making trails of breadcrumbs, and now we’re using a word like “compass” to refer to his form of navigation.  I’d like to believe that the “compass” is still a trail of breadcrumbs that are repeatedly leading them astray, or they are only able to backtrack in life instead of moving forward, progressing, and discovering something better that’s out there.   After another chorus, we get a toned down bridge for a moment with the repetitious choir chanting “cautious of careful and tired of talking”.  These are easily some of my favorite vocals on the entire EP; this bridge might even be my favorite single piece of the entire EP!  As the gang vocals continue, we get some dual vocals with, 

“So he boarded up the clocks

Dug a trench where he could think

Made peace with the fact

He’d rather swim than sink

And if he’s here long enough

He might just call his own bluff

Finally fix these guts

End up something like a person.”  

After this person has fully found rock bottom, they kept digging until there was no way out and no way for anyone else to get in.  They can finally sit with themselves, think about all the decisions that brought them to this place, and almost like a sensory deprivation tank, they are finally forced to confront their thoughts and feelings.  Thankfully, they ultimately come to the decision to do better for themselves and the people around them.  This character can finally call out all their bullshit and start their apology tour and redemption arc, hopefully amounting to something that people could be proud of, for once.  I love this song, dude.  Goddamn.

Lemons:

If you’ve been reading my reviews for a little while, you probably know how I feel about reviewing instrumental tracks.  I tend to think it’s a bit redundant for me to try to put words to something that was solely intended to be heard.  I try to approach these lyrical analyses as if I’m dissecting poetry, but when it comes to instrumental tracks, I think it just makes more sense for people to listen to them instead of reading what some moron has to say about it.  Yeah, this one has the scrongly squizzle guitar and the drums go BAM BAM BAM a few times and then the bass is too deep for anyone to hear and, oh yeah, by the way, there are no words being sung.  Y’know what I mean?  Who gives a shit about my preferences between delay-verbed guitar vs. over-fuzz-stortion?  Having said that, this song will be given a very short and quick review.  This little interlude is an easy forty-three seconds, and as you hear waves flowing in the distance, some light percussion and soft strumming begins to play.  The focal point of this track is an audio sample of dialogue spoken between Jason Segel and Paul Rudd’s characters from the movie “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”.  The song gets its title “Lemons” from the iconic quote, “when life gives you lemons, just say ‘fuck the lemons’ and bail!”  This whole scene is a failed attempt at a pep talk with poor anecdotes, ending with the hilarious quotes:

“Hey, look, man, if you’re attacked by a shark, are you gonna give up surfing?”

“Probably, yeah.”  

King:

We cut right to the chase with the final track of the EP, also the title track.  Beginning with a quick drum fill and then the lyrics jump right in.  

“I like to think I’m pretty patient and careful when it comes to myself

But I can see that’s pretty dangerous

‘Cause when the grace runs out you spend a couple days in hell

So leave a mess if you must but leave your dirt in the dust

It’s just the earth feels different

Like everybody left but the shit kept spinning”

The opening line is a little ironic given the fact that we just spent about thirteen listening to self-deprecating songs, but I definitely get it.  I definitely experience a flip-floppy-ness with my emotions and how I view myself; one minute I’m the worst human being that’s ever lived and then the next minute I think I’m actually kind of an alright dude.  I also deeply relate to the concept of being worried about treating yourself too kindly.  I always feel like I’ll get a big ego and be cocky, or I’ll let myself slide for poor behaviors that shouldn’t be repeated.  It really is a vicious cycle of trying to be critical of yourself and striving to be a good person while simultaneously hating yourself.  I really love the visual of the earth feeling like everyone jumped ship.  There’s a bit of the apocalyptic last man on Earth feeling to it.  Really, I mean, how terrifying and isolating would it be to be stranded all alone on a planet that is actively dying, all you can do is sit in the dirt and watch it end around you.  The bass absolutely SLAPS throughout this song, especially during the chorus.  “Spend every day of the week trying my best not to speak, or say anything to anyone but me” resembles the author character from “Plant My Bones” but with some slightly different nuances.  Try to stick with me here and tell me if this makes any sense, okay?  Have you ever had a writer’s block but in real life?  I feel like I go through phases where I am actively choosing to talk less than normal because every once in a while, I’ll get this overwhelming feeling that I have absolutely nothing of value to add to a conversation.  No matter how knowledgeable I am on the subject, I just feel like there is nothing I can possibly say that hasn’t been said already, and as a straight, white man, who gave me the audacity to even think I could have anything of substance to speak.  Anyway, thanks for this therapy session, I’ll be sending you all checks in the mail.  But, I think, given the context of this full EP, there is definitely a sense of wanting to keep their mouth shut because it’s easier than starting more problems.  We’re still trying to recover and grow, and a lot of that needs to happen internally without too many cooks in the kitchen, telling you the, so-called, correct way to fix yourself.  

“So I scrub and I scrape until my skin starts to sing

And if I’m lucky there’s some sort of prize for this

But if there’s not, I won’t say a thing

And when the fog starts a slow creep and the room starts to race

I can’t find space to speak”

This verse continues with the themes I mentioned prior, and it gives the sense of repeatedly putting yourself in uncomfortable, painful, or toxic situations.  Specifically scrubbing until your “skin starts to sing”, it’s almost as if the real physical pain you’re feeling is the only way you can express anything after staying quiet for so long.  The visual of a shower or a cleansing is interesting because it’s almost as if they’re trying to fully shed their skin or shell in hopes of coming out better and cleaner than before, but it ultimately just leaves them gritty and vulnerable.  Especially if we’re saying that this outer layer is maybe a manufactured guard, like an exoskeleton, without it you are left defenseless.  The potential “prize” gained from this might be similar to a butterfly coming out of its chrysalis, molting who it once was and metamorphosizing into a “king”.  After a second chorus, there is a breakdown that begins with beautiful acoustic guitar with a nice twinkle sound.  The drums appropriately, yet impressively, match the vibe but still get to show off as the bass joins and builds the mix up.  Within a moment’s notice, everything all lashes out and screeches together for the peak of the breakdown.  Everything comes to a cooldown for a moment as the final chorus is sung and then transitions into the final bridge, with the titular king.  

What an absolutely phenomenal release from Dikembe.  It was an absolute honor and privilege to work with these dudes, and I am really glad I got to do a deep dive on this one.  Please stay to read the interview with Steven Gray of Dikembe, down below!

Interview:

Thanks so much for joining me to talk about your newest release, “King”.  First and foremost, what does this EP mean to you?  Tell me some insider stories about the writing, recording, and full creation of it!  

Steve: This EP was a huge departure from how we have written in the past. Our bassist moved to a different state during Covid, so all the demos were sent back and forth starting some point in 2022. It was strange and even frustrating at first, but personally I tried to embrace the idea that we had time to let things marinate before being locked into a specific style of song writing. My melodies ended up being so complex (for me) that I now just sing and we have a new guitar player, Jon, who handles all my parts. This EP was sort of the first time we considered vocal melodies to be more important than riffage. 

This release is right on the cusp of being an EP or an album, was there any significance to choosing six tracks?  Were any songs cut?  

Steve: We actually have enough songs for a solid 10 or 11 song LP, but with how much work it was taking to get everything together due to member distance, we decided to choose 4 and focus on making them the best they can be. After doing that, we decided an acoustic version of Truck would make for a great opener, and the interlude “lemons” was an excellent spot to let the reader breath before blasting into the last track. We are planning on doing a follow up EP very soon.

There was a five year gap in between this EP and your previous album “Muck”.  I know there were some life changes happening within the band, would you be able to elaborate a little bit on that?  Also, how much of those four years were spent working on this EP?  Was there a bit of writer’s block or any obstacles you faced in that time?

Steve: We have been trying to create since we finished recording Muck in 2020. Covid just shook up how our band operates and it has taken us this long to figure out how to make it work. It was sort of an opposite writer’s block, really. The writing wasn’t the actual issue, it was being in the same place at the same time to put things together that was stopping us.

Do you all have a favorite track, or a track that resonates with you more than the others?  Which one, and why?

Steve: “King” is absolutely my favorite song on the record. I wrote it when I was deep in an agoraphobic depression, and it wasn’t until I heard myself singing about what I was feeling that I stopped and went, “Oh I really am an absolute mess huh? Maybe it's time to change?” That realization was one of the key factors in getting my life back together.

Is there anything you would want to change or do differently now that the EP is officially out into the world?

Steve: Definitely would have designed the UI in the Dikembe Sticker Game to be both mobile and desktop friendly instead of just making it work on desktops. Now we have this really sweet point and click game but can’t port it to mobile so that’s the only thing I am sad about with the EP.

There is a notable amount of Jason Segel cameos throughout your discography, most recently in the track “Lemons”.  As a fellow Jason Segel lover, I need to know what your favorite episode of “Freaks and Geeks” is.  Are you a fan of “How I Met Your Mother” or do you hate it (there’s no in-between)?  Have you seen his movie “Jeff Who Lives at Home”?  

Steve: The episode where Neal rips into his dad for cheating using a dummy. I think that’s also the episode where James Franco goes punk and Lindsey has a total “Magneto was Right” moment. I just checked and it is. I watched How I Met Your Mother after a binge of Freaks and then Undeclared while I was looking for everything Jason Segel has ever done. I didn’t like the show, but felt a weird comfort in Jason once again playing a character who cares but is also plagued by self doubt. Jeff Who Lives at Home I think lined up really well with everything I love about his characters. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen it but I remember being on an Office kick when it released so it was sort of like an all-star cast in my eyes.

In honor of this very special, very spooky (not really) Inter-Review, I have to ask you a few Halloween related questions.  What is your favorite candy?  Are you dressing up this year?  What is your favorite costume you’ve ever worn for Halloween?

Steve: I have an unhealthy relationship with Cookie Dough Twix. Anyone we have toured with in the last 2 years can verify. This is especially heartbreaking because I haven’t seen one in the wild in months and I’m not sure I’ll be able to compartmentalize the mental struggle that will result from their stop in production. My oldest daughter’s birthday is Halloween, so she picks our family costume every year. I have been Bolin, Sokka, Hagrid, Starlord, and this year I’m the baker from Kiki’s Delivery Service. Aside from the Green Ranger in elementary school I can’t really pick a favorite, but I’m anxiously waiting until my daughter plays Disco Elysium for the first time and we can go as Harry and Kim some day.

Have any of you actually been hit by a truck?  This is very important information!

Steve: I haven’t, but “Truck” is about my friend Nic from the Caution Children. After seeing the event take place I had a really weird existential crisis about what my legacy would have been had I been flattened by a truck in an Elks Lodge parking lot. So Truck is actually me projecting onto Nic.

I have to ask, how did you land on the band name “Dikembe”?  Were there any other ideas floating around before you picked that one?  What is the band’s origin story?

Steve: When I was in elementary school I had a copy of NBA Live 96 for the SNES. I did not know which button changed teams, so I only had access to the Atlanta Hawks. I did, however, know how to clone characters. Because Dikembe Mutombo was the highest rated player on the team at the time, I took a full 5 man Dikembe squad into every season. So when we were thinking about names it stuck out because I would see it constantly while playing that game. 

When did you first start getting into music?  When did you realize you wanted to start making your own?

Steve: My mom ran a Karaoke business when I was younger. She would bring me to any kid parties to help with the gear, but also use me as an icebreaker to get people to sign up. That’s sort of how I honed my singing chops, but it wasn’t until I started skating that I met other punky kids who played instruments and we started listening to THPS soundtrack bands and trying to sound like them. The band camaraderie was infectious pretty much right away. 

Who are some of your biggest musical influences, in general as well as who specifically influenced the sound of this EP?

Steve: I think our sound is truly born of how differently we all feel about music. Dikembe is made up of a lot of parts. Some common threads would be Braid, Weatherbox, Smashing Pumpkins. For myself I really tried to step it up vocally on this record and sort of experimented with more rhythmic vocal parts. 

I like to leave some room at the end for you all to give any shout outs!  This can be family, friends, other bands, literally anyone at all!  Who would you like to thank or shout out?

Steve: Maxwell Stern from Signals Midwest is actually a cyborg designed to write better songs than John K Sampson. The twist is the cyborg was designed by John K Sampson in an effort to ensure there is never a world without John K Sampson.

It was so incredible getting to discover this new EP and speak with Steven.  Please check out more from Dikembe HERE! ( https://dikembedudes.com/ )