Dave – The Boy Who Played the Harp (2xLP, Yellow Vinyl)

Dave's The Boy Who Played The Harp is his long-awaited third album, arriving after Psychodrama and We're All Alone in This Together, the pair of records that established him as both a BRIT winner and a Mercury Album of the Year winner. Best heard straight through in Dave's chosen sequence, it is a concise 10-track set built less around obvious singles than around sustained reflection, with a writing style that keeps the focus on adulthood, pressure and self-scrutiny.

That inward turn matters. Across songs including "History," "Selfish" and the title track, Dave trades easy victory laps for a more muted, carefully structured album that lets the words do the work. The guest list is selective rather than crowded: James Blake appears on two tracks, Tems joins "Raindance," and Kano features on "Chapter 16," helping place the record in conversation with different corners of contemporary British and diasporic music without distracting from Dave's voice at the centre.

The sequencing also gives the album a real arc. "Marvellous" and "Fairchild" widen the perspective beyond autobiography, showing how strongly Dave can move from intimate confession to detailed storytelling. For listeners who value the album form as much as individual tracks, this is a strong example of why Dave's records tend to land as full statements rather than playlists in disguise.

Features

• 2xLP, Yellow Vinyl, Limited Edition
• Wide spine packaging

Reviews

• it’s clearer than ever what a stunningly skilled rapper he is - The Guardian
• his most intricate album to date - AllMusic.com