TDN 10-Year Anniversary Series: DVSN - SEPT 5TH
Before you knew it, you were already in too deep. 2016 was quite a time for music and that’s only further substantiated the more we explore some of these projects with added years of mileage on our ears. When we finished compiling our initial list, this one jumped at me almost immediately. Eyes were on any & everything that could hold a half-decent tune out in Toronto, and especially anyone that made their way onto OVO Sound radio when it was a bi-weekly platform for the label + friends to show off.
Enter stage right - vocalist/songwriter Daniel Daley and producer/songwriter Nineteen85 (“Hold On We’re Going Home,” “Hotline Bling,” “One Dance”), the duo that goes by DVSN. With a name like “division,” they ironically have a knack for making music that brings people closer together. Unrelated to their namesake and its origin, DVSN knew what they wanted to do.
That journey took flight in my household (and many others) when “Too Deep” made it’s way into the world. As an upcoming R&B group who wanted to differentiate themselves from the rest, having one of these in your catalogue early in your career is divine intervention.
Although the single is simple at face value, less can be so much more. The entire song written as a double entendre for both a romantic and a sexual context? Having additional vocalists (listed as May Marquardt, Camille Harrison & Amoy Levy) to basically act as a call-and-response for Daniel to riff off of? Add on that it interpolates Ginuwine’s “So Anxious” and we have a timeless record on our hands, as it only sounds better each anniversary. They found something special in the clouds and pulled it into the booth with them. That air is what they carried in their bags to every session as they created their debut album, “SEPT 5TH.”
Further context, a month before the debut’s release, it was announced that DVSN had signed to OVO just as Drake was rolling into “Views,” so yes, “Hotline Bling” & “Work” were both out. It’s safe to say there was a non-zero and non-small number of eyes on the two. Also safe to say they were ready for that push. “SEPT 5TH” is nothing short of two artists understanding each other for 10 songs. Songs that make you question “how deep is your love,” for real? If we’re talking about a yearn-athlon, I’m picking this album to at least contend for gold more times than not.
Aside from the aforementioned “Too Deep,” the 7-minute intro, “With Me,” starts off the album like that first sip of the night. The one that coats your tongue in a way that vibrates your taste buds and warms your chest a couple degrees. “Don’t care if there’s people around, just tell me you want me.” It sets the tone as perfectly as possible by introducing you to Daniel’s vocal range, Nineteen85’s production style, and DVSN’s songwriting skills as a team. Yeah, a 7-minute song as the intro to your debut may seem like a strange choice but they get the most out of each second and prepare the listener for the experience to come in the next 9 songs. That you’re going to hear about love, sex, and romance in a way that’ll make you reminisce, lament, and yearn like love is the only thing that matters. Whichever side of the coin you’re on, there’s something in this project for you.
After the first two songs introduce deep love and discovery in the honeymoon phase, “Try / Effortless” speaks on personal behaviors deviating thanks to this person. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, ‘cause I got rules, but I’m breaking them all for you,” is just one of many lines in this that show how it can go from honeymoon to full-on infatuation. “Do It Well” and “In + Out” keep that trajectory going, with the latter turning the heat up to “irresistible.”
But then we get the first significant tonal shift from the benefits of love to its pitfalls with the title track, “SEPT 5TH.” Some kind of transgression has occurred and DVSN is expressing regret while yearning for one more night so they can try to right the relationship again. Which, after some crooning and crying, is where they land on with the final song “The Line.” The realization that however it goes, at least they expressed how they felt and it ends at the notion of “To tell the truth, I only want you, baby, and as soon as you’re comfortable, and when it feels right, … say yeah.” Closing the loop in a way that you can play this entire album on repeat for a while to hear a love story I’m sure many of us have gone through once or twice in life.
“SEPT 5TH” is an album that I saw hit 10 years and said “damn” in the mirror with my best Kevin Hart impression. It laid the runway for the very talented DVSN to float into our playlists for years to come as they put even more drugs into their follow-up album, “Morning After,” and other efforts throughout their career so far.
If 2026 is the first time you hear this DVSN album, it’s still worth it. This is one I throw on monthly when I need to clear my mind or just want to feel something. Maybe it’ll make you feel something too. But if all you take from this are “Too Deep” and “Hallucinations” then that’s an outcome I’m satisfied with!