Largely centered around the production and multi-instrumentalist duo of Josh “J” Lloyd-Watson and Tom “T” McFarland, the London-based neo-disco/funk/dance music collective Jungle released their breakthrough, self-titled, full-length debut to critical and commercial success back in 2014, thanks in part to album singles “Platoon,” “Busy Earnin‘” “Time,” “The Heat,” and “Julia” — and it all happened much to the surprise of the collective’s founding members.
After a lengthy two plus year period touring to support their debut, the collective’s much-anticipated sophomore album For Ever is slated for a September 14, 2018 release through XL Recordings, and as Watson and McFarland note, while their full-length debut was conceived as a sort of imaginary soundtrack to the places they had never been, For Ever is reportedly inspired by the real life experiences of seeing and being in the places they had dreamt of for most of their lives. As the story goes, Watson and McFarland set up camp in Los Angeles to write and record the material that would eventually comprise their sophomore album, and over time their long-held romanticism of California and the Californian Dream clashed with the reality of actually living there, feeling adrift and alone — and the sensation was compounded by the the breakups of long-term relationships. Returning to London, they teamed up with well-regarded, up-and-coming producer Inflo, who helped them create an album devised as a “post-apocalyptic radio station playing break up songs.”
For Ever‘s first single is the glittering and stomping “Heavy California,” which features a club rocking production consisting of a sinuous bass line, a boozy and expressive guitar line, soaring falsetto vocals, shimmering synths and an infectious hook but underneath the breezy, strobe light and dance floor friendly vibes, there’s a mix of heartache and defiance — the sort that comes up after a breakup, where you may say to yourself “well, fuck them, I don’t need them!”
With the release of the album’s first two singles, the act announced a lengthy world tour throughout the Fall and Winter. Unfortunately, at the moment they don’t have any New York area dates but check out the tour dates below.
