The London rapper Dave might be the single biggest star in the entire UK rap universe. His first two albums, 2019's Psychodrama and 2021's We're All Alone In This Together, were both platinum-selling #1 hits over there, and he won the Mercury Prize for the former. He's a J. Cole type -- an insular and expressive serious-thinker rapper who plays piano and does a lot of his own production. But much like Cole, he makes bangers sometimes, and he's really good at it. In 2023, Dave and Central Cee released the all-bangers collaborative EP Split Decision, and their song "Sprinter" was a giant hit all across Europe. Today, Dave releases The Boy Who Played The Harp, his third solo album. No bangers on this one.
Dave didn't release any advance singles from The Boy Who Played The Harp, and he clearly intends for the record to be heard as a unified statement. It's an ambitious, downbeat self-interrogation of a record, a real personal-journey type of deal. The lyrics are weighty. The music is florid. Some fans are going to treat this thing with totemic significance, and some are going to be bored stupid. Even if you're not into this side of Dave, though, you have to respect the overwhelming urge to make something that means something.
The Boy Who Played The Harp has guest appearances from Nigerian afrobeats queen Tems, rising UK rap star Jim Legxacy, and the ever-present James Blake. Blake sings on a couple of tracks and co-produces many of them, and you can hear his influence all over the place. I really like "Chapter 16," a song that's structured as an inter-generational dinner-table conversation between Dave and grime elder Kano. On "Fairchild," Dave and Nicole Blakk get deep about a culture of sex abuse. We're looking at a big swing here. Stream it below.
The Boy Who Played The Harp is out now on Dave's own Neighbourhood Recordings.
