compared the "remarkable" album to "the heavier guitar-based bands of their first wave of German Krautrock." "Equal parts spaced-out folk, riff-heavy psychedelia, and ambient experimentation," wrote Lawrence Daniel Caswell for Cleveland Scene, "Dilate surpasses Bardo Pond's earlier albums in both beauty and scope and, without resorting to mere studio trickery, features the kind of attention to sonic detail that too few guitar-based groups attempt these days."
The album was likened to "the heavier guitar-based bands of their first wave of German Krautrock." According to Lawrence Daniel Caswell for Cleveland Scene, "Dilate is a fusion of folk, psychedelia, and experimentation," which surpasses Bardo Pond's earlier works in terms of beauty and scope, without relying on studio gimmicks, showcasing exceptional attention to sonic detail.