Album Review: Jungle – 'Loving In Stereo'

Of late, an unfair perception has developed that Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland, aka Jungle, create tunes solely for use as background music in BBC adverts. Though perhaps not as transgressive as the likes of The Prodigy and the Chemical Brothers, the duo have always delivered fun grooves and catchy instrumental hooks.

This is certainly the case on Loving In Stereo, which kicks off with the excellent ‘Keep Moving’: much like the hit ‘Busy Earnin’’ from the self-titled 2014 debut, this is a real ear-worm you’ll want to instantly revisit. Notably, this is the first Jungle album with guest performers, and they’re all in fantastic form. In particular, Queens rapper Bas does a superb job on ‘Romeo’, beautifully delivering his flow over the infectious backing track.

While Loving In Stereo does fall a bit flat in the second half – the slower tracks not providing the same punch – it’s still an excellent listen. Indeed, Jungle show they’re in this for the long haul, with an LP that is tailor-made for soundtracking beer gardens and barbecues.

Listen below.