East London-based singer-songwriter Murkage Dave releases his new double single VIOLENCE IN ME, featuring Birmingham-based emcee/actor Jaykae/NEVER SING OLLY OLLY OLLY AGAIN

East Londoner Murkage Dave returns with double A-sided single, ‘Violence In Me’ ft Jaykae & ‘Never Sing Olly Olly Olly Again’. Accompanying the new music is the welcome news that Dave is releasing a sequel to his acclaimed 2022 album ‘The City Needs A Hero’ with the incoming ‘The City Needs… Part Deux’ dropping on 02nd November.

On ‘The City Needs… Part Deux’, the singer-songwriter expands on the themes that formed the core of the album’s parent record: identity, escapism, self-belief & friendship. Dave’s songwriting prowess allows him to showcase a new set of songs that simultaneously display both darker (‘Violence In Me’ and ‘Real Life Thriller’) and lighter (‘Real Life Is Too Unrealistic’) takes on the concepts central to both albums, bookending his ‘The City Needs A Hero’ era.

On ‘Violence In Me’, Murkage Dave laments over a church organ, wrestling with both himself and the complicated relationship he has with religion, before giving way to a heart-wrenchingly confessional rap verse from Birmingham icon Jaykae over tough rolling 808 drums. This is not the first time the pair have worked together, with the 2017 Skepta-produced garage hit ‘Every Country’ already under their belts, but in 2023 their latest offering is a darker and more reflective affair.

‘Never Sing Olly Olly Olly Again’ sees Dave celebrate a breakthrough in self-confidence, looking back on his youth and rave scene roots as a time defined by a lack of self-belief. Canadian producer & DJ Ryan Hemsworth marries emotional stadium guitars with lilting hip-hop drums as we follow Dave attempting to swerve a reunion with people who remember him from the club nights he used to run. The song unfolds with our hero learning he can be sensitive and sometimes introverted and with a newfound ability to make better sense of the past.

Born and raised in Leytonstone, Murkage Dave spent his youth listening to Garage and R&B, followed by formative years spent in Manchester absorbing The Smiths and Joy Division. This disparate mix of influences has shaped a defiantly British pop blend, with his observational storytelling continuing to attract fans globally. He has collaborated with a diverse range of artists, including Caroline Polacheck, Tricky, Mike Skinner, Evidence, AC Slater, Jaykae, Skepta, Nekfeu, and more. Over the past few years of critically celebrated albums, Dave has gained support from the likes of Pharrell Williams, Young Fathers, Iggy Pop, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, The Fader, Complex, The Guardian, The Face, and BBC Radio 1, to name just a few.

Check out the visual for ‘Violence In Me’, featuring Jaykae below.

Murkage Dave – Violence In Me ft. Jaykae / Never Sing Olly Olly Olly Again via iTunes/Spotify

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