{"id":746,"date":"2025-10-26T14:01:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T14:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/2025\/10\/dave-the-boy-who-played-the-harp-review\/"},"modified":"2025-10-26T14:01:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T14:01:11","slug":"dave-the-boy-who-played-the-harp-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/westcoastaftershock.com\/wca\/2025\/10\/dave-the-boy-who-played-the-harp-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Dave, \u2018The Boy Who Played the Harp\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A four-year absence can always elicit questions from the listener. How will the album sound? What will he speak about? Is he not feeling inspired? In Dave\u2019s case, it\u2019s a combination of the above. He\u2019s cultivated a rare audience who do <\/em>pay attention to lyrics, who do <\/em>expect conceptual songs, who won\u2019t<\/em> shuffle an album, who don\u2019t<\/em> mind a 9-minute song from start to finish. It indirectly creates a \u201chigh art\u201d perception. And when the artist themself is aware of that perception, it becomes increasingly hard to not become a caricature of your sincerity.<\/p>\n

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Photography: <\/strong>Gabriel Moses<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My \u201ccrucial third album\u201d statement<\/a> is a bit of an inside meme at this point. But is it not true? They say third time\u2019s the charm. Hattricks are better than braces. \u201cBest three-track run\u201d discussions. It\u2019s a chance to rectify missteps from sophomore efforts. All true rap GOATs have those stripes. If Dave is<\/em> one, he can pass the litmus test and hit a new peak of creativity.<\/p>\n

Creativity is often key for that third album. By now you\u2019ve cultivated that loyal fanbase, perhaps even gave them more of the same from the debut<\/a> on the sophomore<\/a>. Labels give you far more trust and autonomy. In Dave\u2019s case, he doesn\u2019t even have to worry about the final matter. Point being, he can go in any direction he likes.<\/p>\n

On the surface, he\u2019s done that in some ways. He subverted industry norms by delivering his thinnest album to date. No lead single was released, and from the final product it\u2019s clear why there wasn\u2019t. No A-list rappers. Minimal promotional campaign outside of the tour, billboards and bundles. So once you open the promising packaging and see what\u2019s inside, what\u2019s he got in store for us?<\/p>\n

Production Hold thy Tongue<\/h2>\n

The Boy Who Played the Harp<\/em> is sonically sparse. We\u2019re met with the most muted mainstream rap album of the year, consciously leaving out the chance to bop the listener\u2019s head. Backing tracks are often a mere whisper, which works in my favour as a consumer; some of my favourite albums are built on heavy minimalism (Sampha\u2019s Process<\/em>; Earl Sweatshirt\u2019s IDLSIDGO<\/em>; Frank Ocean\u2019s Endless<\/em>). I admire the direction of no Clashes, no Sprinters, no Verdansks. It\u2019s a statement and commitment to the concept in play, which we\u2019ll get into later.<\/p>\n

On \u201cMy 27th Birthday\u201d, he says the album took four years because he\u2019s \u201cwith producers and people that give a damn\u201d. And I\u2019m sure they all do. But four years later, is Dave looking to try new ingredients in the kitchen, or are we the customers being served the signature dish? Which brings me to Dave\u2019s favourite 88 ingredients: the pianos are in full effect for the third album in a row. Tracks 4-7 consecutively feature piano as the backbone of the instrumental, with not much being built around that. When you get that as a listener back to back to back to back, it naturally won\u2019t perk the ears. We get small portions of harp for the album\u2019s namesake, but it\u2019s never at the main-stage. The piano is where Dave feels at home, but at what point does he decide to challenge the listener and himself? On the outside, The Boy Who Played the Harp<\/em> subverts expectations. Musically, it\u2019s Dave\u2019s usual comfort zone.<\/p>\n

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