From the opening orchestral violin flourish, and the echo-like ominous vocals, it feels like opening your eyes to find yourself in another world, the world of funk group, Jungle. And that nerve-wracking moment of a new place, gathering your bearings, suddenly becomes bliss as the 1st track “Dry Your Tears” moves in to the albums first single ” Keep Moving”.
To describe Jungle and their new album “Loving In Stereo” in one word it would be “Jubilant”, the album is supremely danceable, but also has the magnetic pull of getting you up to dance. A whole other level of musical prowess as the bass lines on this album are fluid, creative, and expressive, the guitars are muted, decorative, without ego and fill a certain quintessence, the drums, and percussion flick, and roll with happy abandon.
The vocal cuts are wonderful, and the feature cuts from Bas on “Romeo” and Priya Ragu on “Goodbye my love”, add a sense of solid ground on this high flying album, while still fitting the dreamlike, sun-dripped world that this album continues. “Loving In Stereo” is like looking at a cloudy blue sky with the clouds swirling around your point of focus.
“Bonnie Hill” sounds like a love song of confidence, patience, and the crisp air of a warm spring day. “Loving In Stereo” has the sonic aesthetic of something you’d hear in the mid 70s, but is so clearly grounded in current dat that it feels like a breath of fresh air from everything around.
Each song flowing from one to the other so seamlessly with rhythmic changes and pacings, it sounds like every song is where it is for a reason in this body of work. There is not a single moment of auditory boredom, and an oozing of positivity on this ride in the Jungle ethos.
All this stands as the record alone. The album’s depth only expands to ocean0like levels when you add the “Loving in Stereo” music video universe. All tastefully and expertly done with group member Josh Lloyd-Watson’s one take music video theme, with the same incredible, choreographed dancers exuding a body language of youthful exuberance.
This is a masterclass of an album from start to finish and on this third album, Jungle feel more confident in their voice, honing it to this level, and being in the driver’s seat. This is an album that I will be sitting with for years, give it a play you’ll get why.
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