Chase & Status Return With Spirited Rhythm on New Album, “2Ruff Vol. 1”

by Michael Ryan · Published November 11, 2023

Chase & Status' new album, 2Ruff Vol. 1, is an affirming statement in the drum & bass world, showcasing the duo's continued dominance and evolution.

Notably, the album, the duo's first since 2022's What Came Before, features multiple tracks currently charting in the UK Top 30. Those include "Disconnect" (with Becky Hill) and the incendiary "Baddadan" (with IRAH, Flowdan, Trigga and Takura). A third, "Liquor and Cigarettes," stands as another highlight as the duo brings a potent, horn-driven production to bear.

The album stays especially true to Chase & Status' bread and butter: drum & bass. The album's collaborators comprise a slew of promising songwriters and MCs, thus creating a sound that's both fresh and rooted in the decorated duo's origins. The production is consistently intense, with heart-racing rhythms occasionally punctuated by breaks that offer a brief respite from the waves of frenetic drums.

2Ruff Vol. 1 concludes with "20 Man Down," a track that incorporates spit-firing vocal delivery with booming basslines and melancholic synths in a closing effort that ceases to take its foot off the gas.

Take a listen to the full album below and stream it here.