“Look, we were the shit/And we’re still the shit/Been dishing out hits/Since two double-oh six,” declares Dappy on “Intro”, the opening track on Timeless. As one third of UK rap group N-Dubz, the rapper and producer has been making music with bandmates Fazer and Tulisa since he was 13 years old. Their relentless drive, lyrical dexterity and uncanny instinct for a catchy hook earned them three platinum-selling albums and four top-10 hits—including “Number 1”, their aptly titled, chart-topping collaboration with Tinchy Stryder—before the trio parted ways in 2011. “They said we couldn’t sell out [UK concert venue] Ally Pally but we did/O2 four times, coulda made it six,” Dappy continues, fast-forwarding to the present—a reference to the North London trio’s hugely successful reunion tour in 2022. “This ain’t a reminder, our shit timeless/As if we’d ever come back unnoticed,” Fazer reiterates as the song fades out on Tulisa’s melodic intonations and a trademark “na na naii!”. It’s an unequivocal statement on the position N-Dubz hold in pop culture: Timeless is not a comeback—it’s a continuation. “Intro” succinctly articulates the ongoing legacy of N-Dubz. In the 2010s, the group were the voice of a generation of disenfranchised youth who related to their experiences as young people navigating their transition into adulthood and trying to escape the difficult circumstances of their upbringing. For Dappy, Fazer and Tulisa, who had to contend with the additional pressure of their sudden thrust into the media spotlight, controversy—sometimes warranted, other times overblown—often overshadowed their trailblazing impact. But if the group ever felt they had something to prove in the past, they are assured enough to let the facts speak for themselves in the here and now. After “Intro”, barely another breath on Timeless is wasted on justifying their qualifications. Instead, the album—written and produced by all three members, with a couple of assists from production duo Whyjay & LiTek (Central Cee, Aitch)—largely picks up where they left off on 2010’s Love.Live.Life., detailing romantic connections, romantic disputes and romantic breakups over beats that draw inspiration from a mix of genres. “The Streets” sees an unfaithful lover dismissed over a subtle instrumental; on the skittering beat of “Play Your Part”, blame for the failure of a toxic relationship is cast from all sides; and “Believe Me Now” pours out vocally led frustration with a partner who didn’t heed warnings to fix up their behaviour before it was too late. Elsewhere, “The Ick” borrows Afrobeat influences for a swaggering takedown of flashy rivals. The morning after longing for the night before of “The Lights” races to a poignant, orchestral string finish, while earnest midtempo “Vendetta” pleas for and pledges unconditional loyalty and understanding in a chorus of layered harmonies. Their undeniable knack for vivid storytelling is best showcased on “London”, a tribute to the group’s home city which packs in as much dramatic exposition as any prologue to a musical theatre performance. Historically, N-Dubz’s strength lay in the soapy vignettes of life captured in their lyrics and the clever girls-vs.-boys-style utilisation of Tulisa’s textured, versatile vocals in conversation—and usually at odds—with Dappy and Fazer’s punchy rhymes. They reprise their roles on opposite sides in the battle of the sexes to full effect on Timeless—Tulisa, emotionally wounded but never defeated; Dappy, self-aware yet recalcitrant; Fazer, redeemably flawed—lending each standalone track the air of a self-contained play. Their long hiatus clearly hasn’t rusted the gears of the N-Dubz machine—11 years later, they’re as well-oiled as ever. Although their sonic landscape has evolved, Timeless sounds like they were never gone.