Release Date: 9 April 2025
Song Count: 10
Rating: 7.3/10
Description:
A new challenger approaches the stage by the name of Sherelle, a music producer from London, UK, who last year released her debut album for the public to experience and enjoy. WITH A VENGEANCE is as classic footwork jungle of a sound as one can get, and acts as essentially a 48-minute long water-like stream of minimalist, quick beats at a relatively consistent tempo of 160 beats per minute; that is however not to say that this is all the record is comprised of or that there is nothing deeper to it than just some rhythms and nothing else, because that could not be further from the case.
With this particular album, the differences and winning touches lie in the subtleties underneath the general soundscape, because behind the catchy percussion and production lie solidly grown roots of influence from not only British jungle and rave music, but also Afro beats and other diasporic sounds sprinkled in to add a critical touch to the music. The samples are carefully chosen and kick in at sporadic yet key times throughout the album to keep things engaging without sacrificing the established bare-bones nature, and the dedication to have every song transfer over the same tempo lets the groove flow in between the different tracks. This does also partially cause there to be less to differentiate between some of the songs save for the samples used, but the point is to keep things fresh on a more subconscious level for the listener through these small tweaks and changes rather than making a flashy or ear-catching spectacle out of it.
WITH A VENGEANCE is a phenomenal album to give a spin when in the mood for some fast, organised beats that give a sense of speed, energy and concentration. Sherelle primarily sticks to the fundamentals of jungle and adjacent soundscapes with her music and production, whilst also not being afraid to add an additional kick of inspiration in ways that may fly under the radar on the surface, but add a needed layer of richness to the hooking rhythms. A solid record overall, and one that many fans of electronic music may enjoy as a collection of songs with an almost old-school appeal, even in spite of it being quite a new release in reality.