Dave debut “PSYCHODRAMA” is ambitious impressive grime

The Grime prodigy is out to prove that he is in a class of his own, and we approve

Even though he’s barely 20, Dave already has a reputation for being “serious” and “mature”. With a debut album called PSYCHODRAMA (in ALL-CAPS) that has a running narrative of a psychotherapy session, begins with a track called “Psycho” and ends with “Drama”, you’d be forgiven to expect the worst: a pretentious overindulgent mess. But Dave is too intelligent and gifted for that. Despite the dark mood and heavy subjects he tackles, the record is engaging and enjoyable from start to end–well, from Psycho to Drama.

None of the mostly downbeat tracks hits the staggering heights of lead single “Black”, but most come pretty close. They vary from angry rants, to cautionary street tales, to a mushy Afrobeats collaboration with Burna Boy, to an ambitious mini-opera about a woman in a toxic relationship, to a candid conversation with his brother, his replacement father figure, who is serving a life-sentence for murder. Dave plays piano throughout (he is self-learned) and deftly plays with words that are wise and relatable. There is no flash: the music radiates with quiet power, and is infused with subtle artistic flourishes.

Stormzy might have opened the gates to Grime’s mainstream glory, but Dave is the best illustration of what it can achieve. #Merky can be proud of his progeny.

Highlights: “Black”, “Streatham”, “Lesley”