For Better And Sometimes Worse, Dave’s New Album Takes You To Church

If Dave were a lazy self-mythologizer instead of a meticulous craftsman, he could’ve just called his new album Confession. Over the course of the 48-minute LP — which is actually titled The Boy Who Played The Harp — the 27-year-old Londoner turns stanzas into tense self-interrogations, exploring themes of regret and personal evolution with the unsparing clarity of a wise but mercifully unpretentious clergyman. His wordplay, thematic symmetry, and emotional commitment make it fairly engrossing, even if the muted production can leave you staring at your iPhone waiting for mass to be over.

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