2 years might not seem like a lot of time in the music industry and if we’re all being honest with ourselves, it isn’t. Yet now that Dave has finally put out his first release since his 2019 Mercury winning album Psychodrama it seems like forever since hearing anything new from the Brixton born 22-year-old. The most incredible thing when considering his newest release – a double A-side set of singles ‘Titanium & Mercury’ – is that this is still an artist comfortably in the infancy of their career. By the age of 20 he had released one of the most affecting albums of the decade so it’s fair to say the bar is very high, but he doesn’t disappoint.
Starting with Titanium. This is Dave at very close to his sharpest lyrically. In referencing Heavyweight champions, the MCU and classic Jay-Z he manages to fit a hell of a lot into a track that clocks in at just over 2 minutes. Coming across as the more aggressive of the two tracks it still goes at quite a steady pace, with a simple drum track kicking in at around the 30 second mark and menacing keyboard lines that build tension throughout, alongside a vocal delivery that walks the line between over confidence and aggression perfectly.
Next up is the track Mercury, the Dr. Jekyll to Titanium’s Mr. Hyde. Again, Dave highlights his lyrical ability with not just one-off lines standing out but on second and third listen themes surrounding mental health and relationships, a ball park Dave has always been comfortable working within, being presented beautifully. The instrumental is a bit more measured than the first track, as is the vocal delivery, which both pair brilliantly with a feature from Kamal singing a stunning chorus that juxtaposes Dave’s vocals in the verses brilliantly.
Nothing I can say about Dave hasn’t been said before, his lyrical brilliance and ability to write a song that can speak to millions of young people across the world is why he’s so exciting. So many veteran artists would kill for what Dave has and he’s only one album deep. It really does look like there’s only one way this man’s career is gonna go up.
