Review: Bell Curve – Snake in the Grass

Label //  Raspberry Rhythms
Released // 26/02/2025

I picked up this release a couple of weeks back, and it’s right up my Straße—dystopian, dub-laced, and heavy on the grime soundscapes.

The title track opens with serpentine rattles, snare rolls, tom hits, and lots of space—a mystical soundcheck, perhaps—laying the foundation of the rhythm for nigh on a minute. As the pads come in, the rhythm begins to take shape—complex, circular patterns that repeat like some mechanical mantra, while ghostly pads and grumbling, breathy drones loom above.

On Stop (Call Mi Phone), things switch up—gone are the mystical elements; now it’s spacious, minimal dancehall. Stop (Call Mi Phone) has a touch of the Peanie Peanie riddim about it—not in structure, but in aura—carrying the same airy, minimalist texture as Ward 21’s Petrol. It’s sexier, though, like Timbaland at his best. ‘Switzerland’s dancehall queen’ Lateena takes on toasting duties, telling an ex-lover, “I’m cryin’ in the rain, boy, but it’s not over you. No call mi phone, boy, leave me alone,” before chatting about the new man’s bedroom skills—it’s enough to make me blush. The vocal treatment is odd—which I love—some strange modulation that I can’t quite place. It’s as if it were recorded on a phone, lending the narrative a sense of authenticity.

Bell Curve closes with Pitch and Whine, a short but sweet masterclass in classic-sounding PS2 halcyon grime. It’s raw, stripped-back and visceral—delayed 808 cowbells, kicks almost entirely disposed of in favour of puncturing bass hits and robotic melodies, ice-laden and sparkling through the haze.