The fourth studio album by Brisbane outfit The Jungle Giants, has been a long time coming. The notoriously killer live band have been teasing the record for a while: the first single, “Heavy Hearted”, dropped in 2019, followed by “Sending Me Ur Loving” and “In Her Eyes” in 2020, and “Treat You Right” earlier this year — four tracks of the ten-track album. Needless to say, fans have been champing at the bit.
Long story short: it was worth the wait. A polished gem and a true labour of love, this album is a bit of a paradigm shift for the band. Where their sound used to be indie-rock punctuated with hints of pop and electronica, now it’s the reverse. But the characteristic levity that defines their practice still remains – playing one hell of role.
The playful telephone ringing of the first track on the record, the title track sets the tone for the style of the album, yet the guitar in the verse is a tribute to their early work, reminiscent of tracks like “Used to Be in Love” from 2017’s ‘Quiet Ferocity’. But that quickly drops away in favour of synthy, ethereal boppiness. “Treat You Right” continues that wave, with no acoustic sounds except a piano/keys off to the side. It’s probably the funkiest track on the record. Very danceable.
“It’s clear Hales has been able to spread his wings creatively, and has brought some of Confidence Man’s sardonic yet effervescent energy into to The Jungle Giants.”
“Sending Me Ur Loving” rides off this vibe but works in more layers and melodies without becoming overpowering, building a sense of hype to create a stronger climax for the chorus using a background drone – a technique which will be used to stronger effect later on the album on “Heavy Hearted”. The chorus uses a similar record-skipping-like guitar stroke effect the band employed on “Bad Dream” (another track from ‘Quiet Ferocity’) but in a more nuanced fashion — definitely a highlight of the album.
“Charge My Phone” features a novel intro: a voice memo of lead singer Sam Hales‘ almost scat-singing a basic beat; a blueprint of the song to come – which then transitions into the real McCoy. The meta nature of this is great, but the voice memo in of itself is testament to Hales’ creative strength as an artist. The ease at which he maps out the song, and then the contrast between the blueprint and the fully produced version, is a very satisfying sudden transition.
The very mundane subject of the song is also is a nice contrast to the rest of the album’s themes, which are generally more poetic and so rooted in themes of love and affection, and often diametrically opposed to the rigmarole of modern day to day existence. Of course, this all leans into the modern techno feel of the album and The Jungle Giant’s poignant expression of love in the 2020s: an age where social media and smartphones are such integral elements of romance.
Sadly, the album peters out somewhat in its latter half. “Here I Come” just feels a bit generic and “Heavy Hearted”’s almost snake charmer-esque drone is exotic but a bit divisive – of course, this is just nit-picking.
“Where their sound used to be indie-rock punctuated with hints of pop and electronica, now it’s the reverse.”
Interestingly, the album has a strong Confidence Man vibe to it – and that’s no accident. (Hales dates CM’s Janet Planet and is rumoured to be a secret member/creative in the CM ensemble.) After CM’s success with their party disco sound, it’s clear Hales has been able to spread his wings creatively, and has brought some of CM’s sardonic yet effervescent energy into to The Jungle Giants. CM + JG 4ever?
‘Love Signs’ dives even further into the electronic deviation they started to take on ‘Quiet Ferocity’, moving past their humble indie-rock beginnings. Their sound has developed thoroughly to find a very solid, genuine grounding. All in all, the album makes for extremely easy listening. None of the tracks are excessively long or complicated, yet they are by no means basic. It’s a very accessible, very tasty record – perfect for these strange times we find ourselves in. I’m eager to hear this played at parties and by the pool in summer (fingers crossed that’ll be something we can do by then!). A great record from a consistently great band.