Album Review: Dave - PSYCHODRAMA
Though UK hip-hop has never garnered anything close to the amount of respect its most talented artists deserve, that has not stopped a number of skilled and idiosyncratic figures from rapping their hearts out in an admirable quest to achieve any sort of recognition across the ocean. One of the most notable up-and-comers to exemplify this drive and passion is Dave, a 20-year-old whose thoughtful words and talent both on the mic and at the piano have earned him a dedicated following even before his debut album ever dropped. Yet at long last that album is here, and though PSYCHODRAMA is far from the best that the UK hip-hop scene has ever exported (it's not even the best UK rap album this month), buried within are hints at the inspired artist Dave may eventually become.
At its best, PSYCHODRAMA is a moody, subdued journey into Dave's mind, and his journey to dig himself out of a mental rut through the dual vehicles of therapy and hip-hop. In terms of the former, not only are a number of tracks here structured as psychiatric venting sessions of experiences and worries, but multiple cuts also end with words from a therapist figure, commenting on Dave's struggles and the progress he has made. Still, it is clear from how fervent his words are rapped that hip-hop is at least as therapeutic for him, if not more so: the opener Psycho references both his aversion to getting psychiatric help ("There's so many old scars that they wanna reveal/We got off on the wrong foot 'cause I don't want him to heal") and his fear of remaining an unknown talent forever ("I could be the rapper with the message like you're hoping/But what's the point in me being the best if no one knows it?").
As soon as the second track Streatham begins, it becomes clear that one of Dave's greatest assets is his production choices. Nearly every track here is composed of grimy 808 drum loops paired with dark, dreary piano lines which establish an atmosphere of melancholy to support Dave's serious delivery. Black is perhaps the most prominent example, an incredibly conscious track on racial equality told through his own experiences with an uncomfortable number of biting quotables, including a reference to Wallace Thurman that Kendrick Lamar fans will recognize: "The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice/A kid dies, the blacker the killer, the sweeter the news". The album does enter a slump after this cut, however, with the next few songs distinct in their sub-par beats, forgettable features, and Dave's lazy, bored delivery that fails to leave a mark on the listener.
Though Dave's ambition and maturity are more than commendable for someone his age, occasionally he gets ahead of himself in his zeal to create deep, meaningful music. The centerpiece of PSYCHODRAMA is the eleven-minute Lesley, the story of a woman Dave talks to on the train who ends up embroiled in the tragedy of an abusive relationship. While the tale is indeed touching, and bolstered by Dave's consistently impassioned delivery, the predictable plot twists are played out for little more than cheap melodrama, an especially disappointing decision given the track's length. The track is also yet another instance of mediocre production, with its tender string section taking up the entire length with no variation save for occasional adjustments in intensity.
For every clever lyric and disturbing instrumental on PSYCHODRAMA to showcase Dave's maturity and wisdom beyond his years, there is another slight misstep or blunder to display just how young his career is. Yet it is hard to imagine someone coming away from this album and viewing these less polished moments as particularly troubling, considering how, more than anything, they speak to the heights Dave can potentially reach with better production and a little more experience under his belt. As a breakthrough for a relatively unknown artist into the realm of recognized hip-hop, this record does its job reasonably well, and its success gives additional meaning to its humbling tale of a man who started from nothing, became a musician in order to escape the mental and physical demons plaguing his life, and from his struggles was able to create something worth hearing.
6/10
Favourite Tracks: Psycho, Black, Screwface Capital
https://open.spotify.com/album/4GrFuXwRmEBJec22p58fsD?si=-DfhA5BFQ0mGoIDthhRdug