The Boy Who Played The Harp

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“This is God’s plan/He said it to me.” So opens <i>The Boy Who Played the Harp</i>, the third album from Dave, his first full-length offering since 2021’s <i>We’re All Alone in This Together</i>, which cemented his legacy as one of UK rap’s most consummate storyteller. “My mum told me what my name really means and the powers just kicked in,” he continues on the James Blake collaboration “History,” aligning himself with the biblical King David—“the boy who played the harp” referenced in the album title. Certainly, Dave has his own giants to face. He lays out his fears most explicitly on “Selfish,” another James Blake joint, reeling off a litany of sins and self-suspicions over ominous chords and haunting vocal sample. “My 27th Birthday” underscores his inner conflicts across almost eight minutes of restrained piano and hi-hat-centric percussion: new money clashes with old, moral conviction with the ethics of consumption, work ethic with the sacrifice of ambition. The state of the world weighs heavy; “How can you be King?/How can you be King?/Don’t speak for the people,” he asks on the title track, closing out the record with a powerful interrogation of his own commitment to social justice and a sage reminder that the push for change is a collective, intergenerational effort. .

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

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