Jungle: 2014
Listen to the session above
The funked-out, falsetto-driven songs of London's Jungle offer up the perfect summertime soundtrack, brimming with sleek harmonies and soulful anthems. The duo, friends since childhood, stubbornly adhere to some anonymity: they prefer to be called J and T rather than their given names and shy from too much personal attention. But as a touring collective of five (or seven) members, Jungle is boldly uncloaked.
It's been barely a year since the group first dropped a sultry double A-sided single of "Platoon" and "Drops" on Chess Club Records amid a flurry of queries about their identity. In July 2014, the pair finally released their self-titled debut album on XL Recordings on the heels of an extraordinary year that has included sold-out worldwide gigs and an overload of blogosphere buzz.
Not long ago, Jungle ventured to the Bronx to play a mini-set for WFUV and I had a chance to chat with J and T about their carefully crafted ascendance, their love of all genres of music, and their inimitable bond.
[recorded: 6/19/14]
