U.K. group
Jungle's dancefloor-ready pop took on a melancholier tone on their 2018 sophomore album,
For Ever, with core members
Josh Lloyd-Watson and
Tom McFarland both reeling from break-ups and letting their pain seep into the album. If third album
Loving in Stereo is any indication, both producers are officially over whatever was getting them down on
For Ever and ready to party with a set of heavily disco-influenced dance tracks that include adventurous dabbling with hip-hop and guest vocalist contributions.
Jungle's shadowy grooves and falsetto vocal hooks are still the foundation of many of their songs, but the atmosphere on
Loving in Stereo is lighter and more celebratory than on earlier sets. Energetic tracks like "Keep Moving," "Can't Stop the Stars," and "All of the Time" are lively swirls of disco strings and pushy rhythms, crackling with a sense of euphoric joy.
Jungle experiment with the boundaries of their style as the record goes on, getting into '80s new wave sounds on the relatively rocking "Truth," and a laid-back amalgamation of neo-soul and chillwave on the lighter-than-air "Lifting You." The duo's most exciting forays into new styles come on tracks where guest contributors are heavily featured. The sunny "Romeo" is an organic type of hip-hop track, and
Bas raps over the entire song, allowing
Lloyd-Watson and
McFarland to lean into their roles as producers.
Priya Ragu takes the lead on beautiful and upbeat R&B track "Goodbye My Love," her vocals gliding over a relaxed instrumental of electric piano and breezy live drums.
Jungle are at their most elevated throughout
Loving in Stereo, in terms of both creativity and the general tone of the album. The songs are exploratory and fun, exuding energy and positivity and resulting in some of the group's best work to date. ~ Fred Thomas
