Jungle

Jungle skillfully replicate the sexy patinas of their varied influence. [Sep 2014, p.94]

Jungle’s core members, childhood best friends Josh and Tom, make well-balanced dance tunes--lush, but with plenty of breathing space between slow builds and feverish climaxes.

The duo is stingy with the low end on much of Jungle, preferring to keep its heads and equalizers in the clouds. As a result, the clubbier tracks feel less formulaic, and the record as a whole becomes more substantial.

West London synth duo Jungle claim to “bring the heat” on their debut album, but it’s more the languid haze of a holiday beach than the intensity of a dancefloor.

It all runs very smoothly--perhaps too smoothly for some tastes--but listen past the sheen and the headphone goods are there.

It’s from hearing the brand new tracks that Jungle’s burgeoning songwriting mastery is really showcased.

iven the excitement that’s put to tape, it’s obvious this has been Jungle’s intention all along; not to be mysterious, not even to be adored; just to be the record that plays while people’s lives are shaped. Something that’s remembered within every pang of nostalgia.

Combining the pop world’s two biggest current loves--forward-thinking dance music and throwback soul/funk--Jungle are ticking every box on the ‘perfect debut’ checklist, and they’re doing it with pizazz.

What’s really intriguing about Jungle, though, is its darker side. There's a tone of inner-city malaise, romantic ruin and psychedelic alienation to a raft of its tracks that speaks to those modern urbanites feeling screen-wiped and robbed of opportunities, busy earnin’ for nothing.

There are times when the album feels like it starts to tread the same ground, but there is also sign that Jungle have it in them to do things that are different.

The details of bandmember identities and backgrounds quickly become extraneous in light of the wealth of intriguing sounds presented on this incredibly well-constructed debut.

When you see Jungle live, it takes very little provocation for them to extend their songs into euphoric, funk-laden, instrumental prang-outs that mesmerise your mind’s eye. Unfortunately, the album lacks a little of that psychedelic deviation, and instead chooses to quite politely proffer 11 great and concise songs, with a whistling instrumental mid-point.

The end result is an undeniably slick but ultimately superficial album.