“The Boy Who Played The Harp” landed number one on the Billboard UK chart on its debut, marking Dave’s third number one album in a row

UK Rapper David Orobosa Michael Omoregie, better known just as Dave, made a name for himself quite quickly, not just in the UK, but in the international scene with his 2019 debut album “PSYCHODRAMA,” a project highly praised for its strong lyricism and a reflection on the Black experience in the UK. His 2021 project, “We’re All Alone In This Together,” was met with similar reception to his debut. The strengths of “PSYCHODRAMA” were not lost between projects and his sophomore album carried an even more notable list of features, as well as standout tracks like “Both Sides Of A Smile” with UK singer James Blake. 

After a four-year wait with a few singles, and a collaborative EP with UK rapper Central Cee that was met with mixed reception, Dave returned on Oct. 1, 2025 with the announcement of “The Boy Who Played The Harp.” The album’s tracklist and features were announced later that month on Oct.20, and the album released only three days later. 

From reflections on fame to a continued exploration of the Black experience, to questions of religious faith, or his past infidelity, Dave is more introspective than ever before on “The Boy Who Played The Harp.” 

The album opens with “History,” where Dave reflects on his fame and some past infidelity. James Blake features on this track as well, with gorgeous background vocals and a verse of his own. His production is also a strong point of the track, combining a church organ with his signature, spacey sound. 

Longer tracks like “175 Months” and “My 27th Birthday” are rapping standouts from this project. The length of these tracks allows Dave’s uninterrupted flows, as well as his lyrical and thematic depth-ranging from topics like fame, to faith, to hypocrisy, to the violence that envelops his community-to shine.

The tracks “No Weapons,” featuring UK rapper and singer Jim Legxacy, and “Raindance” with Tems are the two pop hit-attempts from the album. They don’t feel hollow, though, like many attempts at pop hits on rap albums do. Dave’s rapping doesn’t falter on these tracks, and the features don’t drag the songs down. The pop tracks aren’t the album’s strongest points, but they aren’t really a low point. The Afrobeat-style production is also a strong point on

The production on “The Boy Who Played The Harp” isn’t necessarily the highlight, but it is strong nonetheless. James Blake’s influence is felt all throughout the project, tracks like “Selfish” and “Chapter 16” 

From the get-go, “The Boy Who Played The Harp,” is littered with biblical references, even the title is a reference to King David, making the album technically self-titled. David’s story is one of a man who rose from humble beginnings, becoming a beloved king fighting for the people (but also making some morally questionable choices), but eventually abandoning his people. It’s a tale all too familiar with many rappers. It’s also a story Dave echoes throughout this project as he fears it’s happening to him. “Chapter 16” is a reference to Chapter 16 of the Book of Samuel, which contains a conversation between David and King Saul. The track is a beautiful conversational bar trade between Dave and Kano, an older UK rapper. The two go bar-for-bar with excellent flows and sharp lyrics to reflect on their place and legacy in UK rap. “My 27th Birthday” echoes the abandonment part of the story of David. Dave posits himself as a morally conflicted figure, like King David, as he raps on for almost eight minutes straight about his position as a social commentator-a position he isn’t sure he’s fulfilled. He brings up hypocrisy he engages in: from the diamonds that he wears, ones which have the blood of his people on them; to talking about slavery then traveling to Dubai.

The album’s final two songs are some of the highest points of the project, the penultimate track: “Fairchild,” featuring Nicole Blakk, especially. The song is a heartbreaking recollection from Blakk to Dave about getting sexually assaulted following a bad experience at a party-which the duo uses to give commentary on misogyny, men’s entitlement, the constant dangers in the club scene, and the lack of attention to women’s safety in society-as the lyrics “Danger don’t look like no killer in a mask” permeate the entire second half of the track following Blakk’s haunting verse. Backed by a gorgeous piano, Dave uses the final, and titular, track, to reflect one last time on the album on his position not just as a famous rapper but as a black social commentator. The track ends with the words “With the will of David in my heart / The story of the boy who played the harp.”

Dave is constantly firing on all cylinders on “The Boy Who Played The Harp.” Not every song reaches the album’s peaks but it’s hard to say there’s really a skip on it. He explores his most diverse list of topics yet on this album and his lyricism is as sharp as ever. It’s all topped off with a great feature list that only enhances the tracklist. 

“The Boy Who Played The Harp” may not be Dave’s best when put up to the likes of “PSYCHODRAMA,” but it’s still nothing short of incredible, fully deserving of a strong 8.5-9/10.