In 2019, the South London rapper Dave released a thoughtful and promising debut album called Psychodrama, and he immediately became a star in the UK. Psychodrama went to #1 on the UK charts and won the Mercury Prize, and Dave gave a striking performance at the Brit Awards. Since then, Dave has collaborated with UK rappers like Ghetts and Fredo, but he hasn’t released any music of his own until today. This morning, Dave dropped two new solo singles, “Titanium” and “Mercury.”

“Titanium” is the shorter and harder of the new tracks. Over a foggy beat, Dave spends two minutes flexing hard: “Jeez, same old story/ You can get soaked or soaked in glory/ I got a house in the sticks, it’s awkward/ I know that my neighbours are voting Tory surely.” Dave’s got a deep, heavy voice and a huge presence, and I like the way he sounds when he’s just talking shit.

But Dave also found fame as an introspective type, and that’s the version that we hear on “Mercury”: “Even when my people hate me, gotta speak for ’em still/ I gotta listen to my sister ’cause their feelings are real/ And when the scars this deep, this shit ain’t easy to heal.” The song has an airy James Blake-type feel, and it’s got a hook from the R&B singer Kamal. Listen to both tracks below.