Album Review: Jungle - 'Sunshine'
Love, loss and letting the groove carry you: Jungle’s Sunshine.
The duo have officially become a trio. Jungle made Lydia Kitto a full time member back in 2023, and the pay off has been enormous, a BRIT Award for Group of the Year and a fourth album, Volcano, that turned "back on '74" into one of the defining British songs of the decade. Fifth album Sunshine arrives as the sound of a band fully settled into that new chemistry, and it has everything you would expect from a Jungle record, peppy pop bangers sitting alongside more profound moments, all wrapped around a familiar message: love, loss and making the most of the present; sunshine included.
'Come Back To Me' gives the album a retro start before bursting into that all too familiar Jungle groove. It's infectious from the first moment, the kind of track that would soundtrack a Copacabana afternoon, the vocals arriving late to tie the whole thing together and set the tone for everything to come. The title track follows, and 'Sunshine' oozes summer effortlessly, a chanty chorus backed by glittering production, the refrain built to stay in your head long after the song ends; like memories of a summer that refuse to fade away. The feel good nature of the track is undeniable, repeating its hook until the whole thing explodes into something bigger & brighter.
That opening run stays quintessentially Jungle. 'Where Are You Now?' pulls back into a more stripped down approach, the kind of track you'd play as a party starts to wind down, a tambourine taking centre stage before the chorus helps it bloom into something more anthemic. 'Move Like You Do' picks the energy straight back up with a slick, disco driven pull towards the dance floor, easy to get swept up in its glistening production, Lydia's vocals mixing beautifully into the groove. 'Romeo ii' brings Bas back into the fold, following on from his feature on Volcano’s "Pretty Little Thing." A high pitched sample kicks the track off, and his braggadocious flow over the chopped soul instrumental slots into the world of Jungle with real ease.
'Carry On', the album's lead single, softens things considerably, giving Lydia's vocals room to properly shine. There's a jazzier feel running through it, the confessional lyrics sitting against a glossy instrumental in a way that makes the track feel entrancing, building towards a genuinely cathartic ending. 'The Wave' pulls the record back into tropical territory, drawing on 60s and 70s Brazilian rhythm for something even more intoxicating than what's come before, its reassuring refrain about holding steady when things fall apart summing up the sound and message of the record in one line. 'Someday, Somewhere' keeps that chanting chorus device going, ostensibly the band's favourite tool, this time in service of imagining a better place than the one you're currently in, its lyrics carrying more of that same confessional weight underneath a quirky, ever present groove.
'Natural' softens the record again, similar to an Olivia Dean cut with a bit of extra flair, it’s "you're a natural" refrain looming over some genuinely nifty guitar work. It's charismatic enough to lure you in for one final dance before the record starts to properly wind down. 'Reflection', the penultimate track, turns sentimental, sombre and dare I say it, reflective. Lydia looking inward and laying out her flaws, insecurities and doubts about a lover, the chanty chorus returning one last time as the album's feel good nature gives way to something more realistic. Closer 'Heavy On My Soul' brings things to a sombre finish, dreams of paradise and chasing an escaping sun (yes I have just watched The Odyssey) running underneath a delicate chorus that, despite the title, gives Lydia one final chance to shine as the record winds emphatically down.
Jungle have returned with their most consistent project yet. Sunshine is a ride through the highs and lows of life, that feeling of flying and wanting to dance colliding with a more grounded realisation about the way life actually works. What Jungle do so well is bottle up that feeling of a groove and release it track by track, and on Sunshine that's exactly what they've done again. The band continue to go from strength to strength, and this is another stellar addition to an already brilliant discography.
Words by Alex Peters
