From the folks that gave us Jungle (2014) and For Ever (2018), Jungle are now back with more music to get us into the groove this year with their highly anticipated forthcoming third album Loving In Stereo.
We asked them to tell us more about their new record as well as their creative process when it comes to production and art direction.
With several singles already out this year, namely ‘Romeo (feat Bas)’, ‘Don’t Be Afraid’, ‘Talk About It’, and ‘Keep Moving’, the new album certainly sees an expansion of their horizons, both sonically and texturally, and even visually.
For instance, their West Side Story-inspired visual (alongside their longtime collaborator Charlie Di Placido), for their music video of ‘Keep Moving’ follows different groups of dancers who move to the disco-flavored track through several areas of a building before joining forces for a skillful, coordinated dance number.
It is an alluring video as much as the song that shows the magical new direction of the upcoming album.
‘Talk About It’ (impressively delivered in one-take), follows ‘Keep Moving’, and has the same effect.
Out on August 13 next month, we spoke to Jungle recently to find out more about this forthcoming album, collaborations as well as the making of ‘Keep Moving’.
AL365: Hi Jungle, Vanessa here from AsiaLive365. Thanks for taking the time to chat with us. We love your recent release ‘Keep Moving’. It is such a vibe and anthemic one! What was the recording process like for this track and what inspired the use of a choir for it?
Jungle: It was probably the hardest song to finish because we knew the impact that it could have if we got it right. Sometimes you just know that an idea is really going to connect with people in a big way so we had to protect that and make sure the song was as good as possible. We knew that we needed to reflect the power of the hook in the way that it was recorded so using a choir was a big experiment but we’re super glad that we did it.
AL365: We heard that you guys have a third album coming up – Loving In Stereo. What can you tell us about this forthcoming record?
Jungle: It’s definitely the best-sounding album we’ve made so far. As we get older and wiser it’s easier to be able to translate the vision in your head onto the record. We’ve reached a new level of production, writing and recording that really allows us to be more bold with our creativity and that’s a really exciting place to be as a musician. We feel limitless and I think that’s reflected in the sound of the album.
AL365: You worked with Tamil-Swiss Priya Ragu and US rapper Bas on the album. What was that like?
Jungle: They’re both really inspiring people who we’ve enjoyed getting to know and working with. They are both a part of the journey of making this album and the creative process was really relaxed and easy with them too. We met Bas at a festival in New York in 2018 and just stayed in touch until he could come to London and record with us in December 2019.
AL365: Any other music artists that you would love to work with some day?
Jungle: Who knows who we will meet at festivals in the future 😉
AL365: As creative directors of your own art project, what are some of the challenges you face, for example, when making your music videos? We love the one for ‘Keep Moving’ by the way – the choreography (and art direction) is so mesmerising!
Jungle: The only real challenge is making sure that we stay true to our core principles and create art that is honest and inclusive. We want to work with the most exciting choreographers and dancers in London and the UK so that we can showcase their talent on a bigger stage.
AL365: What sort of music inspires the both of you – and would you say your differences (or similarities) help to make what Jungle is right now?
Jungle: We both have so many influences it’s honestly impossible to list them. Good music is good music whether it’s hip-hop or jazz. We also have very different tastes but that’s exciting and beneficial as we’re always introducing each other to new artists and fresh sounds. I think the diverse nature of what we listen to and enjoy means that what we make always feels new and unique.
AL365: You have a world tour coming up. We don’t see Asia in the list yet. Any chance that you’ll be dropping by this part of the region next year? Think we’d love to have you back in Singapore!
Jungle: I think we’re just taking things slowly and seeing what the bigger picture will be before we rush into stuff and end up disappointing people. We want everyone to be safe and feel confident coming to a show before we book anything. But we had such an amazing gig in Singapore last time that we want to come back as soon as possible.
AL365: Is there anything that you like to say to your fans in Asia?
Jungle: We love you and can’t wait to see you all soon.
AL365: Thanks again Jungle! Looking forward to listening to Loving In Stereo on August 13!
Cover photo: Anna Victoria Best
