That’s it, we can go home: Rochelle Jordan just dropped the dance album of 2025
Elena Hernandez - Music Editor
In 2014, British Canadian singer Rochelle Jordan released her acclaimed R&B-forward debut record 1021. Seven years later, in 2021 (originally slated for 2020, but delayed due to the pandemic), after battles with her then-label, sickle cell disease, and depression, she finally released her sophomore album Play with the Changes. Jordan draws inspiration from UK garage, drum and bass, and house music. The record almost immediately became an alternative dance/R&B cult classic. Now, she returns with Through The Wall, an effort that has left listeners declaring it Record of the Year.
Its release was preceded by four official singles. In “Doing It Too”, Jordan flips the situationship hook-up script. “Boys will be boys, but the girls will too…whatever you do, do, do/ I’ll be doing, I’ll be doing too,” she sings over an infectious beat. “Crave” sees Jordan and her partner make up and make love after a lovers’ quarrel. “I need you to touch it, touch it, touch it, go/Make me remember why we fight at all,” she repeats, “I need you to touch it, touch it, touch it, go/Make me remember why we fell in love.” The title track “TTW” is equally as infectious, and I’m adding it to my party playlist as I type this sentence.
The record opens with an insane three-track run, starting with “Ladida”. In it, Jordan practically oozes swagger as she rides the beat with no hesitation and fully declares it her own. In “Sum”, she calls out her ex for wasting her time and sings, “Should’ve known/It’s so typical…That’s that good, good love/But it’s still a ‘no’/ What an L to hold.” Highly anticipated track “The Boy” is full of KAYTRANADA flair, yet Jordan’s creative vision is never overshadowed. “Your eye contact/You know it keeps me coming back/Like a f***ing boomerang/ You got me spinning, no cap,” she sings, effectively encapsulating that push and pull of love all throughout the track.
My personal favorites from the record are “Never Enough” and “Bite the Bait”. In the former, Jordan gets vulnerable. “I swear you push for a reaction now I come across neurotic/I don’t know where to go from here,” she croons, “It’s just that every time you come at me I’m trying to use logic/The way you fight just isn’t fair.” On the other hand, the latter “Bite the Bait” is simply a sensual masterpiece. “Got my sight set/Got a life vest/I see you like that/Watch you bite back/I got you right where I want you, never go/You got me right where you want me, never go,” she repeats in its chorus.
Overall, the record has a sexy feel and silky-smooth finish. Despite clocking in at 59 minutes with seventeen tracks, Through The Wall never once feels drawn out. From start to finish, Jordan transitions seamlessly from track to track, flawlessly switching between alternative dance, R&B, and deep house. In some tracks, she seamlessly blends those genres, resulting in a sound that could only be recognized as uniquely Rochelle Jordan’s…something from the future.