d4vd’s (David Anthony Burke) musical career is not the path that many might think it is: the major reason he started creating music was to avoid copyright strikes on his YouTube videos. He released many of his first songs on SoundCloud, creating TikTok hits such as “You and I” and “Take Me To The Sun.” In 2022, after releasing another of these hits named “Romantic Homicide,” he signed with the label Interscope Records, and d4vd as we know him was born.
His first studio album, “WITHERED,” was released on April 25, 2025, boasting 15 songs and around 49 minutes of music to its name. It’s filled with a mix of indie pop and alternative R&B, two popular song genres that share themes of love and growth. The opening track, “Atomic Land,” drops the listener into the emotion of the album almost immediately, filled with abstract, introspective themes of longing and yearning. d4vd generally has a softer voice, and he uses that fully to his advantage in this song, with his words and the instrumentals blending together to create an ethereal effect.
The next song, “Sky,” continues with these themes, but has a catchier beat that is almost deceiving. d4vd’s vocals are stronger in this song, which hides the sadder, more sorrowful lyrics in this track. In the bridge of the song, he hits a lot of high notes, which makes the return to the chorus and the repetition of the lyrics, “I need someone now/I missed you, I missed you somehow/Never meant to, but I had to let you down,” even more impactful.
“You Left Me First” has slower instrumentals, and the intro kicks off with the sounds of electric guitars, reminiscent of Cigarettes After Sex (a popular pop band), in the background. d4vd is able to create the feeling of deep despair and resignation as he croons with his voice, “Why do you lie when there’s no point in lyin’?/Why do I try when there’s no point in tryin’?” At the end of the song, the girl apologizes to him for what she’s done to him, making the song more complex and offering a deeper look into d4vd’s emotions.
A few of the next songs, such as “Say It Back” and “Somewhere In The Middle,” while they are still good songs, just don’t offer as much uniqueness as the others and are ultimately pretty forgettable. d4vd’s voice is strong as always, but neither the lyrics nor the beat are offering anything different from the previous songs. The beat for these songs is stronger, however, and the instrumentals are pleasant to hear, so the listening experience is still very enjoyable. The songs allow for some versatility that hasn’t been heard from “WITHERED” as of yet, so they do still have their place in the album.
“Invisible String Theory (Interlude)” is a conversation between a guy and a girl, thinking about the reasons that they met and eventually became connected. The girl believes they met because of the Invisible String Theory: “I loved you before I existed, and I’ll love you even when I die.” The words are very sweet, and the interlude ends on her saying “I love you” to him, which makes the themes of the previous songs and “WITHERED” in general hit a lot harder. While the album is primarily focused on d4vd and his lovesickness, he’s able to convey a lot more depth and nuance by adding in snippets like these, scratching the surface of his complicated love.
As the album goes on, some of the tunes begin to blend into each other, but the final verse of “Is This Really Love?” switches up to him desperately repeating, “Won’t you tell me what it is?” because he believes that what he has right now isn’t love. The instrumentals are relatively loud in this song, and it can be argued that d4vd’s vocals are being sort of drowned out, but it’s easy enough to hear and the instrumentals are good enough that the song is still pleasant to listen to.
Some of his songs have incredible viral potential, including “What Are You Waiting For” with its peppy chorus and fast-paced, almost rapping vocals, but the next song, “One More Dance,” is one of the saddest and most nostalgic in the album. d4vd’s voice really shines in this song; it’s dripping with romance and resignation, and the entire track is filled with such a sense of nostalgia that the listener almost wants to take their partner and, “Dance with your eyes wide shut/Forty degrees ‘round us.” The next track, “Ghost,” also boasts a more nostalgic vibe, but it pales in comparison to “One More Dance.” His use of repetition and warbling vocals is strong, but the tune is similar to earlier songs on the album and doesn’t offer anything truly unforgettable.
“Afterlife,” the final song and outro of “WITHERED,” is potentially the best and most remarkable song of the album. d4vd’s control of his voice and vibrato is incredible, and the lyrics are powerful with its discussion of unrequited, possibly dangerous love: “And when I die (You’re holding the knife)/I’ll love you from the afterlife.” The instrumentals and choral backing offer the listener beautiful melodies and harmonies, and at the end of the song, they blossom into their own solo that fills the listener with a mixture of acceptance and sorrow. Everything in this song blends perfectly together to create a bittersweet, ethereal outro.
While d4vd has released extended plays (EPs) before, showing his experience with the musical industry, “WITHERED” is his first ever studio album, and he did a beautiful job with it. All of his words are layered with emotions, and his instrumentals tug at the heartstrings; every song is either a way for the listener to sink into bittersweet romance or to deceive themselves with catchy beats and say that everything is fine. The album is a complex, nuanced look at pent-up emotions, regrets, and the type of love that d4vd is most known for: a lovesick, longing type of love.