D4VD - Petals To Thorns

If you still find yourself lost in front of TikTok's mechanisms, you're certainly not alone. And that's without even mentioning the opportunities offered by playlists, advertising and TV series, an endless network of customizable channels that the industry steers to get its products into the pockets of millions of listeners. But know also that, sometimes, the algorithm works. This, at least, is the story of David Anthony Burke, known by stage name d4vd, born in 2005 (yes, he's just turned eighteen), a songwriter and singer who grew up in Texas, where until a few months ago he was still in school.

The suspicion that d4vd is a fearsome industry plant (a term that ruffles plenty of feathers among listeners with short memories) is certainly a strong one, but his charm is undeniable enough to set him apart from the rest of the pack: a rich, expressive voice, sweetish and adolescent songs, but written and played "the old-fashioned way," with elegant vintage gusts and a rock restlessness simmering just beneath the surface.

Two songs catapulted him into the airwaves: the mournful, dusty guitar ballad "Romantic Homicide," one step away from the most listless Brian Molko, and the tearjerking carousel ride through an abandoned amusement park that is "Here With Me," perfect for framing the most intimately nostalgic moments of everyday life. Both songs have already racked up over half a billion listens each on Spotify.

And yet, the scant half hour of "Petals To Thorns" manages to deliver a smooth listen, at times naif and saccharine, but carefully packaged. In a landscape often skewed towards dance, hip-hop and reggaeton, d4vd's indie-soul songs show off elegant chamber arrangements ("Don't Forget About Me," almost a tribute to Rhye), jazz-folk delicacy ("Sleep Well") and even dream-pop ("Backstreet Girl" is a ballad in the style of Beach House), following in the footsteps of more conventional peers like Miley Cyrus and Olivia Rodrigo.

The gentle duet with Laufey, "This Is How It Feels," twirls like a waltz for piano and string quartet, but there's no shortage of emo touches for restless hearts either: the desperate booming drums of "WORTHLESS," the intense wave fabric of "You And I" and the hefty indie-rock finale of "The Bridge." Nothing new for anyone over the age of eighteen, perhaps, but, at the risk of sounding reactionary, it's occasionally nice to come across sounds that feel familiar even outside one's own social-media niche.

It's hard to say what the future holds for d4vd so soon after such a dizzying rise. Where rappers like Roddy Ricch and Desiigner have already passed through, his star could just as easily fade, lost amid the churn of an algorithm that feeds on a mere ten seconds of a song with no regard for the rest of the work - just ask Steve Lacy what it feels like to gain fame from half a sentence taken out of context, after a decade of hard work.

But right now our very young singer-songwriter seems to have taken the right path: even if he never recaptures TikTok's favor again, his sound remains easily recognizable, and built to age well, since it's already positioned outside of passing trends.

The more attentive listener may find the execution of "Petals To Thorns" formulaic and overly polished, but if the listen still manages to tug at your heartstrings, there's a whole landscape of similar songwriters out there, already more mature, capable and inspired, even if further from the algorithm's reach - a few names to start with? Tobias Jesso Jr, Charlotte Day Wilson and MorMor. Happy listening.

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14/06/2023