Jungle
Jungle
XL
8/10
“Right on time, back by the beach, still gon’ bring the heat.” Rarely has an album’s whole ethos been so well summed up in a three-sentence spoken word intro; the debut from quasi-mysterious UK duo Jungle is, indeed, a sweltering, soulful trip. Dissected, nearly every track on Jungle’s debut is a woozy stunner, from opener “The Heat” (a summer jam filled with sirens and synth shimmers) to the closing “Lemonade Lake” (as saccharine and refreshing as its title suggests). Overall, the theme is pronounced ’70s throwback—smooth melodies, deep-cut bass lines, and falsetto funky grooves—but it’s refreshing in its calculated, carefree approach. Swoony and rife with hooks, Jungle oftentimes feels like a high with no comedown, and it’s worth pointing out the fact that you can only remain comfortable in extended elevation for so long. Still, like any true temptation, “Busy Earnin’” says it all—you just can’t get enough.
