That we're only getting
Dave's debut album in 2019 tells us a lot about the artist himself. With a
Drake co-sign, a number one-charting hit, and a string of viral singles dating back to 2016, the London-born rapper had every opportunity to secure the bag, whip up a half-baked debut and guarantee himself the big-label sophomore. Yet
Dave wanted it to get it right the first time. Distilling his life experiences into a concept, his debut album
PSYCHODRAMA comes fully formed, a nuanced project imitating the form of therapy his brother experienced in prison. With snippets from his therapist dividing the album into three self-described "acts" -- Environment, Relationships, and Social Compass -- the project sees
Dave re-enacting lived experiences and mind states in self-reflection. The result is a thoroughly compelling self-examination; taking us track by track through attitudes, occurrences, and locations,
Dave paints a detailed self-portrait, wrapped in strands of both past and present.
Much like the late-teen
Nas on
Illmatic, Dave's pen works beyond his years.
PSYCHODRAMA holds visions of broken relationships, poverty, and deep-set depression, yet they're never inflated; through projecting his own experiences,
Dave reflects the conditions of his South London home with frankness and personal grievance. Whether it be the rallying cry for racial identity on "Black," generational voicing of "Environment," or 11-minute domestic abuse narrative of "Lesley," Dave's words consistently blur the line between personal and universal, addressing significant issues aptly while giving greater insight into the artist himself.
Yet far from just blunt reportage,
PSYCHODRAMA's lyrics are steeped in wordplay. Lines like "Now he's cuttin' through bricks like the 118" manifest triple entendres with ease, while others like "I've got a baby, a crossbow like Cupid" employ sly references to
Dave's home city. As well as adding authorial color, this wordplay gives the album's blunter moments a greater poignancy: "I used to cry about my dad until my f*cking eyes burnt" cuts sharply through the riffing of "Psycho," while "Environment" deconstructs public perception with "You see this industry where everybody came up / I see a bag of weird rappers". That's not to mention late gems "Lesley" and "Drama," skeletal narrative outpourings that tear away the wittiness to deliver heart-wrenching stories of distraught families and isolation.
With the significance of the narratives being woven, it's essential that the album's production doesn't attempt to take the spotlight for itself. Luckily,
PSYCHODRAMA's production is thoroughly complementary, adding texture and resonance to Dave's words while ensuring his voice remains center stage. The tools of this are organic and instrumental: "Purple Heart" and "Lesley" reflect isolation and grief through strings, while vocal samples put a haunting strand through "Screwface Capital" and "Black." The primary force at work here, though, is
Dave's piano. Putting tool to tone, he morphs the piano to suit his needs, reflecting everything from joy to aggression through note placement and complementary electronics. The result is an album where sonics reinforce moods, allowing
Dave to express a wealth of emotions in a measured, complex approach.
Packing dense lyricism, poignant introspection, and resonant production into a neatly compiled concept,
PSYCHODRAMA has all the makings of a generational classic. The product of a MC beyond his years,
Dave's debut album stands firmly among the Godfathers and
Made in the Manors as one of the finest British rap albums of the decade. ~ David Crone