Jungle arrived on the UK music scene in 2013 shrouded in anonymity. For a start, their name echoes a rich British music tradition, sparking “the band, not the genre” discourse. But their identities were also initially kept to just J and T, as they released blisteringly funk and euphoric singles ‘Platoon’ and ‘The Heat’, proving that their mystery was more than just a clever PR campaign. The pair turned out to be Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland, two lifelong friends who had played together in the band Born Blonde.
Both band and label (XL Recordings) understood that such a rich, soulful sound would need the backing of a full band on stage, and within their first year they found themselves on bigger stages and festival slots, and in September 2014 they were invited to join Pharrell Williams at the iTunes festival in Camden, London. They had another major hit in ‘Busy Earnin'’, which took off across Europe and even as a far as Australia.
The band’s self-titled debut album was released in summer 2014, revealing the duo’s real identities but keeping the well crafted aesthetic they had worked towards with a rich, vintage production and sound. In addition to the original singles, the LP included the hits ‘Drops’ and ‘Julia’.
In 2018, after vigorous international touring, Jungle announced the release of their next album with the single ‘House In L.A.' The America-inspired For Ever was released in September, and included the songs ‘Smile’ and ‘Heavy, California’, with NME calling it a “far more personal affair” than their debut.
Knuckling down in the studio during the pandemic era, in 2021 Jungle released their third full-length, Loving In Stereo, which was their first to have featured guests: Bas on ‘Romeo’ and Priya Ragu on ‘Goodbye My Love’. The group clearly enjoyed collaborating, as their 2023 follow-up Volcano included Roots Manuva (‘You Ain't No Celebrity’) and Channel Tres (‘I’ve Been In Love’). One of their sweetest and most soulful, Volcano was written on tour and recorded between a Los Angeles rental and London’s Metropolis Studios, and track such as ‘Back on 74’ and ‘Candle Flame’ have amassed a dizzying amount of plays.
In January 2024, Jungle announced a headline show at The O2, London, for Thursday 12 September.
