Album of the Week: Dave ends four-year hiatus with ‘The Boy Who Played the Harp’
Dave has established himself as one of the most talented rappers on the planet. He’s among the most consistent names around, as displayed on his two groundbreaking albums, Psychodrama and We’re All Alone in This Together. At only 27, he’s at a point in his career where he doesn’t need to release singles for hype, and simply gives fans a whole album experience.
In the four years since his last album, Dave has toured the UK and US on his We’re All Alone in This Together Tour, while releasing a collaborative EP with Central Cee, Split Decision, with the single ‘Sprinter’ topping the UK Singles Chart for ten weeks. In turn, it became the UK’s longest-running number-one rap song of all time.
Now, he’s back with his third studio album, The Boy Who Played the Harp. Released on October 24th, The Boy Who Played the Harp consists of 10 tracks with features from Kano, James Blake, Tems, and Jim Legxacy. The title was inspired by the Book of Samuel in the Bible, with the project arriving as a full body of work without any previously heard tracks.
“After a few years of soul searching to arrive at this point, I want to say thank you to everyone who made this possible,” he wrote on Instagram following its release. “My mum who raised me and gave me my name and destiny, my family and friends, and the most talented of musicians that helped me bring this to life. I owe you a lot.”
One of the standout moments on the project is the contemplative eight-minute track, ‘My 27th Birthday’, following in the footsteps of ‘My 19th Birthday’, ‘My 24th Birthday’, and ‘Our 25th Birthday’ with Cench. On it, he reflects on his career so far and his personal life in the four years since his last album.
Speaking to his fans, he said, “I want to say, over this time I have been away, you have genuinely saved my life and I couldn’t think of a better group of people to do this with/for. I cannot believe how you have supported me. I wake up and think about you, and I write and I pray for you ,and I speak life into your lives every day I walk this earth. I hope this album and this story aligns with yours and resonates with you.”
A bucket list moment for UK rap fans comes on ‘Chapter 16’, which finds Dave teaming up with Kano. After acting alongside each other in Top Boy, the six-minute tracks sees the pair having a conversation over dinner and showing one another respect. They both spit a verse each before going back and forth in the third verse.
Once again, in an era where viral trends are the focus for a lot of artists, Dave proves that music can indeed do all of the talking. He’s up there with the best MCs, whether it’s the US or UK, and it’s surely only a matter of time before he enters rap history by headlining Glastonbury. Now three albums and several EPs deep, he’s got a catalogue more than worthy of a spectacle.