U.K. rapper Dave made a surprise announcement on Wednesday (Oct. 1) confirming the release date for his third album, The Boy Who Played the Harp.
The Streatham-born musician revealed that he would make his comeback with his new LP, his first in over four years, on Oct. 24. He also shared the album artwork, which can be seen below. No additional details or tracklist have been made public at this time. Pre-orders are now available on Dave’s website.
The 27-year-old released his breakthrough EP, Game Over, in 2017, a year after Drake jumped on a remix of his song “Wanna Know” and brought his name to wider recognition. In 2018, his song “Question Time” won an Ivor Novello for best contemporary song, and during his performance at the 2019 BRITs, he eviscerated the U.K. government’s response to the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, which killed 72 people.
His debut album. Psychodrama (2019), hit No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart and collected the year’s Mercury Prize as well as best British album at the BRITs in 2020. Its follow-up, We’re All Alone in This Together, also peaked at No. 1 on the U.K. charts, and landed at No. 10 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart.
In 2023, Dave and Central Cee broke the record for the longest-running rap No. 1 on the U.K. Singles Chart with their track “Sprinter.” The song ruled for 10 weeks and appeared on the collaborative EP Split Decision with Cench. Dave has achieved three U.K. No. 1 singles in total, including “Funky Friday” (2018) and “Starlight” (2022).
He has collaborated with Stormzy, Burna Boy, Jack Harlow, James Blake, Headie One, AJ Tracey and more throughout his career.