That we're only getting Dave's debut album in 2019 tells us a lot about the artist himself. With a Drake co-sign, a number one-charting hit, and a string of viral singles dating back to 2016, the London-born rapper had every opportunity to secure the bag, whip up a half-baked debut and guarantee himself the big-label sophomore.
Yet Dave wanted it to get it right the first time. Distilling his life experiences into a concept, his debut album PSYCHODRAMA comes fully formed, a nuanced project imitating the form of therapy his brother experienced in prison. With snippets from his therapist dividing the album into three self-described "acts" - Environment, Relationships, and Social Compass - the project sees Dave re-enacting lived experiences and mind states in self-reflection.
The result is a thoroughly compelling self-examination taking us track by track through attitudes, occurrences, and locations, Dave paints a detailed self-portrait, wrapped in strands of both past and present. Much like the late-teen Nas on Illmatic, Dave's pen works beyond his years. PSYCHODRAMA holds visions of broken relationships, poverty, and deep-set depression, yet they're never inflated through projecting his own experiences, Dave reflects the conditions of his South London home with frankness and personal grievance. Whether it be the rallying cry for racial identity on "Black," generational voicing of "Environment," or 11-minute domestic abuse narrative of "Lesley," Dave's words consistently blur the line between personal and universal, addressing significant issues aptly while giving greater insight into the artist himself. Yet far from just blunt reportage, PSYCHODRAMA's lyrics are steeped in wordplay.
Lines like "Now he's cuttin' through bricks like the 118" manifest triple entendres with ease, while others like "I've got a baby, a crossbow like Cupid" employ sly references to Dave's home city.
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