Apparent magnitude, to two decimal places…
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[5.50]
Ady Thapliyal: “Starlight” has the TikTok tendency to marinate in one vibe when it would have been better served by a contrast of emotion, but I guess I can’t dislike a song that is two degrees of separation from Neon Genesis Evangelion.
[6]
John S. Quinn-Puerta: It’s hard to tell if Dave’s being a wife guy or not by the second half of the song, but his flow bounces enough with “Fly Me to the Moon” to make me not care. The production is just busy enough. Any denser and it wouldn’t float.
[8]
Ian Mathers: At any given moment here, until he pulls back and lets the “Fly Me to the Moon” interpolation that started off “Starlight” backwards unspool forwards at the end, Dave manages to hold the camera pretty effortlessly. But there’s a bit where he repeats a bunch of lines and it feels weird — there really isn’t a chorus and this generally works better as one unspooling narrative instead of trying to force one in there.
[6]
Oliver Maier: The beat is cute but it doesn’t really gel with anything Dave is on about — as usual his rapping is sturdy but uninspiring. A glorified freestyle with none of the spontaneous energy.
[3]
Edward Okulicz: I guess it’s clever that you can use a great sample, hope that’s the bit that gets picked up when people are flicking between stations or social media feeds, and get your biggest hit. But Dave’s both boring and bored here, barely making an effort. Workmanlike rhymes and flow never sounded so bleak in the context of what they’re trying to achieve.
[4]
Alfred Soto: With his occasionally humdrum self-produced beats and terse sincerity, Dave reminds me of J. Cole, albeit with more to say. He’s entered the self-conscious phase of his career when fame-what’s-your-name quashes more worthwhile subjects. History suggests it’s a passing phase.
[6]