After a breakout 2022 in which he landed two songs in the Top 5 of Billboard’s Hot Alternative Songs chart, indie balladeer d4vd returned yesterday with “Placebo Effect,” his first single of the new year. It debuted in the lower reaches of the Genius Top Songs chart, about 12 places behind “Here With Me,” one of last year’s tunes that remains popular on the site.
“Placebo Effect” was produced by Dan Darmawan, the beatmaker credited on “Here With Me” and d4vd’s other 2022 hit, “Romantic Homicide.” (There’s little info about him online, but he’s got a bunch of similarly vibey tracks for sale on the website BeatStars.) This latest song fits neatly with those other two, offering mellow, chiming electric guitar and minimal drums and bass—a natural bed for dv4d’s wounded crooning.
As the song opens, we find d4vd (real name: David Burke) in the aftermath of a breakup. Turns out what they had wasn’t real—it was just a case of his brain convincing him it was, like sometimes happens with fake medical treatments. But that doesn’t make it hurt any less.
Days go by
So rapidly
Oh, won’t you comfort me
I know what we had
It was make believe, oh
A placebo
He ends the verse with a realization: “But maybe this is how it’s supposed to be.” He decides to take a wait-and-see approach, and in the next section of the song, he imagines how he’ll feel with a little more distance from this heartbreak.
On the other side
Where the grass seems to be greener
On the other side
Where my rib cage could be cleaner
On the other side
Where the light will not go out
Oh on the other side
At 1:32, the drums finally come in. The lyrics leave plenty of room for interpretation, but it feels like d4vd is addressing his ex, asking for some space to process everything.
Take my time
Please stop rushing me
For company
I can’t figure it out
I need you here but you’re not near
Looking back, d4vd can’t make sense of the relationship he’s just been through. The whole thing has left him jaded and cynical, but on the bright side, dude’s only 17. He’s got plenty of time to figure it out.
I can’t
Remember what was a dream
Or a memory
Love isn’t real
Not to me
Not to me
“Placebo Effect” arrives ahead of d4vd’s debut headlining tour, which kicks off February 17 in his hometown of Houston and hits Los Angeles, Paris, London, and New York City before wrapping in Toronto on March 6. In an Instagram post announcing the new song, d4vd promised “ALOT more” new music coming soon.
You can read all the lyrics to “Placebo Effect” on Genius now.
