When a debut album is as good as Jungle’s in 2014, whatever followed was going to be challenging. Should you try and strike gold twice with the same sound or take it somewhere completely different? The London-based duo has definitely stuck to the former, and while it’s definitely not a step down, this never quite reaches those same magnetic highs.
‘Smile’ immediately picks up where we left off, belting whimsical lyrics over tribal percussion and as one of the album’s first singles, ‘Heavy, California’ immediately brings flashes of glitzy Hollywood Hills and Boogie Nights-style pool parties. Similarly ‘Beat 54 (All Good Now)’. It packs a meaty bassline that’ll get your hips gyrating.
‘Cherry’ ups the synth-game, sitting closer to fellow Englishman SBTRKT, while ‘Casio’ brings back the disco feel without the same funk. ‘Mama Oh No’ uses similar urban rhythms to earlier hits like ‘Platoon’ or ‘The Heat’ however ‘House in LA’ is where the momentum starts to putter.
Thankfully it ends strong with ‘(More and More) It Ain’t Easy’, which has a real warm fuzzy feeling to it.With the powerful mix of strings over drums, ‘Pray’ finally sees Jungle hit full stride, turning this into an impressive follow-up of more hits than misses.
