BexBlu and Paul Stephan Switch the Pace on ‘U Feel Good’
Following September's ‘Never Relax’, BexBlu and Paul Stephan return with a surprisingly joyful single that challenges expectations of their sound, while showing the strength of their working relationship.
If you were expecting BexBlu and Paul Stephan to follow ‘Never Relax’ with another heavy-hitting grime record, ‘U Feel Good’ might take you by surprise. The pair have returned less than a month later with something brighter, warmer and considerably more playful. It's a strange change of pace at first, particularly if you've grown accustomed to the deeper sound associated with Stephan, but the further the track goes, the more convincing that decision becomes.
BexBlu opens the record with a sense of joy that feels almost unexpected. Rich keys, chopped samples and crisp drums replace the harder atmosphere of their previous single, drawing on soul and hip-hop without losing the rhythm that drives his production. It's an upbeat instrumental that immediately changes what you expect from the collaboration, and that's part of its appeal.
Paul Stephan is where the record really comes together. His delivery has always been a strength, particularly over the darker, grime-influenced production that has helped shape his sound. Here, he's working with something quite different, but there's no sense of him struggling to find his place. He moves between relaxed verses and melodic hooks, controlling the track with the same confidence he brings to his heavier material.
It's a reminder of how much an artist's delivery can contribute to a record, regardless of what's happening underneath it. The production might take ‘U Feel Good’ somewhere unfamiliar, but Stephan remains the person leading it.
That doesn't necessarily mean every listener will welcome the change. For those who have followed Stephan because of his deeper grime sound, the brighter direction might be something of a Marmite moment. There's less of the intensity that makes his harder records so appealing, and the difference is immediately noticeable. Yet it would be a shame to judge the track purely against those expectations. The change works because Stephan commits to it rather than trying to force his usual sound onto a different instrumental.
The two have already spent considerable time developing their working relationship. Their May release ‘Lost Not Found’ followed earlier collaborations, including Stephan's appearance on ‘aardvark’, the closing track from BexBlu, Saiming and Finn Foxell's 2025 EP give thanks and breathe.
Photography: Dorian Day
There's a difference between experimenting with a sound and making it convincing. On ‘U Feel Good’, BexBlu gives Stephan an instrumental that few might have expected after ‘Never Relax’, and Stephan responds without losing the qualities that make him such a compelling rapper.
It might not become a favourite among listeners who prefer his grittier material, but that doesn't make it a misstep. ‘U Feel Good’ is an enjoyable change from a pair who clearly know how to work together, and a reminder that Paul Stephan has plenty to offer outside the heavier sound we've come to associate with him.
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