If there is one band I instinctively associate with summer, it’s Jungle. The British group have spent more than a decade pulling from disco, Motown, soul, funk, and R&B, filtering those influences through their own distinctly modern production. Their 2023 album, Volcano, took that formula to another level, thanks in no small part to the massive success of “Back on 74.” Three years later, Jungle are back with Sunshine, an album whose title tells you almost everything you need to know. This is music made for warm weather, outdoor dancing, beach days, crushes, and leaving the album on from beginning to end while a party unfolds around you.
The album opens with “Come Back to Me,” which begins almost like you’re tuning a radio until you finally land on the Jungle channel. The beat comes in almost immediately, accompanied by the gorgeous vocals and harmonies that have become such an essential part of their sound. It’s cute and jaunty, with lyrics about “dreaming of a life with you” setting an appropriately romantic tone for the record. I especially love the whistling that closes out the track.
The title track, “Sunshine,” feels like the moment the album fully comes alive. The production fills out into a lush disco track with that signature Jungle quality of making you feel like you’ve been transported straight to the ’70s. The refrain about how we’re “supposed to feel like sunshine” could practically be the thesis of the entire album. There’s an immediate sense of euphoria to it, but then again, it’s hard to listen to Jungle without feeling that way.
That feeling continues through “Where Are You Now,” where the vocals almost sound like birds singing, and “Move Like You Do,” which incorporates vocal samples into another bouncy beat. “Romeo II,” featuring Bas, is a sequel of sorts to “Romeo,” their collaboration from 2021’s Loving in Stereo. This time around, the pairing feels tailor-made for a summer block party, bringing a hip-hop edge to the record without disrupting its flow.
Then comes a three-song run that forms the heart of “Sunshine,” all of which were released ahead of the album, and for good reason. “Carry On” has a breezy, almost bossa nova quality that reminds me of “Back on 74,” while “The Wave” is quintessential beachy summer music. It’s the kind of song I immediately want to hear outside, preferably surrounded by other people and dancing. “Someday, Somewhere” begins with a dreamy, almost carnival-like introduction before settling into a sensual pop song through and through. If you need an album to soundtrack being on the beach with your crush, Jungle have graciously provided one.
“Natural” keeps that sensuality going, with a sexy, slinky groove that makes it one of the album’s most immediately danceable moments. “Reflection,” meanwhile, is sweeter and dreamier, pulling more directly from the sounds of ’60s soul. Jungle have always been particularly good at referencing the past without simply recreating it. You can hear decades of disco, Motown, funk, and soul throughout “Sunshine,” but the production is polished enough that the record never feels like an exercise in nostalgia.
The album comes down from its high with “Heavy on My Soul,” a more contemplative closer that feels especially striking after so much warmth and movement. It’s one of the songs I’m most interested in seeing performed live, particularly as it builds toward its gorgeous string-filled ending. Rather than squeezing one last dance track out of the record, Jungle allow “Sunshine” to end on a quieter, more reflective note.
Coming off the success of their last album and a song as ubiquitous as “Back on 74” (it was featured in a Gap ad!) Jungle could have easily tried to manufacture another viral moment. Instead, Sunshine works best as an album in the traditional sense. Put it on at the beginning of a party and let it play. Listen to it on the beach, on a walk home at golden hour, or while getting ready to go out with someone you have a crush on. Jungle have once again taken sounds from decades past and made them feel perfectly suited for right now. Sunshine doesn’t reinvent Jungle, but when their music feels this good, I’m not sure I need it to.
Sunshine is out now.
0 comments on “Jungle’s New Album ‘Sunshine’ Is a Soundtrack for the Last Days of Summer”