Albums
Healer of the Pride
2014
Release Date: 2014
By Pitchfork
Reviewed March 30, 2014
Like most bands who've had the "emo" tag levied on them, Gainesville, Fla. quartet Dikembe have come up with an alternate tag for what they do: "romantic comedy", the description's latter part coming through in song titles like "I Watch a Lot of Jackie Chan Movies". "Healer of the Pride" is a more subdued, professional take on their slippery musicianship—there are still abrupt time shifts and winding arpeggios backing Steven Gray's worn vocals—but there aren't any jokes to be found on their new split with reunited O.G.s Jazz June, but there's noticeably stoned statements about alternate lives and the supernatural. Gray muses, "There's a person at the bottom of the casket/ She's talking to this person you may or may not miss...It's nice to know she's there to answer questions." So like most bands who've had the "emo" tag levied on them, Dikembe have quickly evolved into a more introspective and cerebral entity.