Absorbing and transcendent in sound, Jungle started out as an indie duo in 2014 formed by London natives Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland. From the outset, the band always had a knack for producing resplendent tracks that were both buoyant and electric, imbued with an intensity of emotion that made them canonical stamps of the eras in which they were released with their anthemic summer melodies. In 2023, with the release of Volcano, they formally expanded their lineup to include Lydia Kitto, who appears heavily on this new album Sunshine, especially on bass and vocals.
For their fifth studio album, the band embrace a mellower, slower pace than on their previous release, but one that feels altogether more coherent. Tom and Josh seem to have stepped back a bit on their vocal involvement, and Tom in production as well, which could account for the shift in sound, but Lydia has brought a refreshing newness to the band’s sound, and there is just as much resplendence residing within its arrangements for those willing to listen.
One glimpse at the track listing and you can surmise less uplifting sentiments than the band usually conveys, but that doesn’t detract from the upbeat nature of their anthemic ballads. While the album is full of earworms, contagious funky bass riffs, and their usual tropical effulgence, it still feels somewhat unfinished, and arguably could’ve benefitted from the inclusion of the singles “Let’s Go Back” or “Keep Me Satisfied”, which were released between these last two albums, to round out its track list.
“Come Back” gives the album a strong opening, with characteristically catchy refrains, tropical, bouncing bass, and glistening harmonies. Beautifully produced, it coheres through a multiplicity of individually shining elements. “I sing your love a story, oh maybe then you’ll love me,” the lyrics float into your ears and bounce around contagiously. The titular track “Sunshine” sparkles with the tactile intimacy of retro textures and samples redolent of some of Washed Out’s music. If anything, a bit repetitive, it still proffers the band’s ubiquitous building synths, warm and open atmosphere, and groovy bass.
Rather than tracks that build, climax, and cease, each track seems to have a more soluble, fixed rhythm, with thematics focusing on gratitude and yearning, rather than pure festivity for its own sake. “Where Are You Now” encompasses this, while still maintaining hooky guitar riffs and an element of hazy nostalgia, glowing at the edges.
Rhythmic and glowing, “Romeo II” featuring Bas begins with a transcendent vocal sample that just scratches an itch before moving into Lydia’s dulcet crooning in the chorus. “The Wave” is another tropical earworm with punchy bass and warm synths. While still fun and well produced, if it sounds like it’s missing something, it’s because it is. Tom’s lesser involvement in the project’s production is tangible; as good as the tracks are, they sometimes feel as though they’re missing those familiar elements that have defined Jungle’s sound.
On first listen, some fans may find themselves itching for the more upbeat, fast-paced celebratory anthems that were so prevalent on the previous album, but upon further listening, they’ll find a quieter, sweeter, yearning joy interlaced throughout the record. While it lacks the usual intensity of Jungle’s previous album, fans can be mollified by the familiar elements that do prevail and the execution of its architecture and production. What it offers, it offers in abundance, if you can slow down to listen and allow yourself to be carried away by its influence.
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