Artist: Dikembe
Album: Mediumship
Label: Tiny Engines

I admittedly slept on Dikembe for some time, completely missing their Chicago Bowls EP and debut LP, Broad Shoulders. After hearing “Hood Rat Messiah” back in May, though, I became hooked and did some backtracking through their earlier works to prepare for Mediumship.

While many of the elements that made up their initial works are still in tact on their newest release, Dikembe have grown, and it shows in nearly every way on Mediumship. They’re still the same four dudes who love Magic: The Gathering and The Office, but from the songwriting to the production, the band’s sophomore effort is wholly more developed and polished, and while it’s easy to miss the Freaks and Geeks samples and quirky song titles, you’d be hard-pressed to find a fan that doesn’t appreciate Dikembe’s evolution.

Enough about that, though. We’re here to discuss their latest vinyl release.

Pressing Info

Mediumship pre-orders went live on May 28 through Tiny Engines with a total pressing of 2,000 between five different variants. Priced at $15 a pop, the variants included ‘Yellow w/ Red, Green & White Starburst’ (/250), ‘White w/ Green Starburst’ (/250), ‘Translucent Dark Pink’ (350), ‘Opaque Light Yellow’ (/500), and ‘Clear’ (/650). There’s no information indicating the exact weight of the pressings but I will say that my copy definitely feels pretty heavy which is nice.

I wasn’t available to get online at the time pre-orders became available, so as the two most limited pressings were sold out, I opted for the translucent dark pink colorway which I wasn’t disappointed about in the slightest.

Packaging & Presentation

Visually, this is one of my favorite vinyl releases of the year thus far. Josiah Lloyd’s artwork was an immediate attention grabber when the cover was initially revealed. Dikembe’s Ryan Willems recently told us, “He was nice enough to do all of the art including the record labels and inside of the gatefold. He totally knocked it out of the park.”

Indeed he did. There are so many subtle little details to explore and the pastel-tone colors look great. To add to its visual attractiveness, the album’s jacket is a sturdy reverse-board which I’m always a fan of. Something about that texture just feels so right.

As the band opted for a gatefold jacket they decided to forgo a lyric insert as all the necessary credit information and lyrical content can be found within the gatefold. The disc itself is protected in a standard white LP sleeve that, once removed, reveals a gorgeous, translucent disc of pink wax. The best part is that there are smoky, darker-pink swirls throughout it that I didn’t expect as that specific detail wasn’t included in the variant information upon ordering. The color of the record really complements the album artwork and vice versa.

Sound Quality

I’ve been spinning Mediumship all day since the mailperson dropped it off. Simply put, it sounds perfect — clear as can be. This is definitely an album to listen to loudly as it’ll provide you with a better opportunity to really experience the transitions from calm and slightly reserved to purely intense. Obviously, the best chance to fully experience what Dikembe have to offer would be in a live setting, but if you don’t have the means to attend a show, this is the next best thing.

Wrap-Up

First off, Tiny Engines is one of my favorite labels. They understand what vinyl fans want as they provide us with incredible variant options and substantial pressing numbers for their artists, most of whom are well below mainstream status but certainly on the rise (see The Hotelier). They’re a small label doing it right.

As for Dikembe, they’re on their way to being front runners for the emo/post-hardcore movement and Mediumship is the release they needed to propel them there. Their sound has been refined and matured since Broad Shoulders and I for one am thrilled to see them continue in this direction. If you’re a fan of the band’s work and/or the aforementioned genres, I’d highly suggest checking out Mediumship and picking up a copy. This pink variant is still currently available along with the clear and light yellow versions. The jacket alone is worth owning as a piece of art, but the fact that this is an excellent record makes it all the more worthwhile.

Review written by: Brian Lion — (Follow him on Twitter)

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Brian Leak

Editor-In-Chief. King of forgetting drinks in the freezer. Pop culture pack rat. X-Phile. LOST apologist.

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