SHEKHINAH’S “LESS TROUBLE” IS WHAT PEACE FEELS LIKE IN AUDIO
When Shekhinah released Rose Gold in 2018, it marked a fresh, distinct voice in South African pop. The album was confident and melodic, built around clarity, catchy songwriting, and a vocal tone that was unique and memorable. It captured the magic of young love, ambition, and arrival. In 2021, she returned with Trouble in Paradise, and it was a sharp left turn. Sonically moodier and emotionally heavier, the album was thick with themes of grief, anxiety, and emotional fatigue. There was a heaviness to it that made it compelling, though sometimes difficult to sit with. Now in 2025, she’s back with her third studio album, Less Trouble, which sounds like the healing aftermath of its predecessor.
Fans had been waiting patiently for a new album since 2021. Not because Shekhinah vanished, but because it was clear that whatever would come next needed time. There was no formal rollout, no long campaign teasing a new era. Just a surprise announcement, followed less than 24 hours later by a full-length project. That arrival felt like a quiet shock, like someone showing up at your door without warning and still being exactly what you needed. It made sense. Shekhinah has never followed formulas. She moves when she’s ready, and Less Trouble arrived right on time.
This album feels like she has finally found her pocket. The production is clean but full. The vocals are warm and unrestricted. The songwriting is focused but loose enough to feel lived in. She sounds like someone who has come to terms with the chaos, the heartbreak, the confusion, and decided to just be. The genre lives mostly in the pop space, but it’s dressed up with R&B textures, strong elements of house, a few Afrobeat bangers, and even traces of what feels like indie or hippie rock. It never feels experimental for the sake of it. Each song sounds exactly as it should, and Shekhinah navigates these sounds like a veteran, even though some of them are new to us.
The most notable thing about this album is that there is no filler. Songs like “Break Up Season,” “What Are We,” “Risk,” “Spoonky,” “Steady,” “Too Good To Fail,” and “Until Until!” are instant standouts. Each of them brings something different to the emotional and sonic landscape. “Break Up Season” is declarative, pulling no punches about emotional exhaustion and the boundaries that come with it. “What Are We” is more delicate and feels like a “driving on the highway, deep in thought” kind of song, sitting in the discomfort of an undefined relationship. “Risk” introduces vulnerability and softness, with Ghanaian artist Moliy adding texture and range. “Spoonky” feels like an afternoon breeze. “Steady” is grounded and groovy. “Too Good To Fail” continues the story with a sense of cautious optimism, while “Until Until!” closes the project on a high.
The thread between all 3 albums is emotion. But with each project, that emotion and its explicit expression have matured. First it was wonder, then it was grief, and now it’s clarity. Shekhinah’s voice has remained the anchor through it all, but here, it feels the most assured. She no longer sounds like she’s searching for something. She sounds like she’s living in what she’s found.
If you haven’t yet, Less Trouble deserves a front-to-back listen with no distractions. Its story arc is rooted in the idea that “trouble” (the emotional weight, the confusion, and hard moments doesn’t last forever. Starting with ‘Break Up Season’, and closing with ‘Until Until’, the album is clearly communicating a narrative that lots of people need to hear and be reminded of. The trouble does lessen eventually, even when things feel blurry, heavy, or impossible in the moment.
A solid 9/10.