Jungle’s latest LP Sunshine basks in tropical sounds ripe for summer. Released last Friday (August 14), the album is currently at No.4 in the Official Charts Company midweeks. Here, co-founder Joshua Lloyd-Watson and new bandmate Lydia Kitto tell Music Week about their tunes, tours and triumphs…
INTERVIEW: Paul Stokes
PHOTO: Mason Rose
Jungle are now officially a trio. Even though you’ve worked together for years, has anything changed since Lydia became an official member?
Joshua Lloyd-Watson: “I started working with Lydia on our third record. We weren’t necessarily doing Jungle; we just started making music. I was like, ‘Wow, she’s incredible!’ We clicked in a way that really made sense. Lydia was ingrained, then she started becoming a face for Jungle. At that point we said, ‘You should join the band.’ Tom [McFarland] and I started it, but I see it like Sérgio Mendes changing up his bands with Brasil ’65, then Brasil ’66.”
Lydia Kitto: “Has membership altered much for me? Yes and no. In the past, I was disguising my voice with effects, using it like an instrument because it was meant to be a random vocal, whereas on this record there’s a lot more of us singing together in a natural way.”
And where does this new album capture you going musically?
JL-W: “It comes from where we’ve been before. Our last album, Volcano, was bright, saturated and full of left-hand turns. We’d hit a chorus and go, ‘Let’s do something unexpected!’ On Sunshine, we’ve been listening to Latin and Brazilian music, plus we’ve leaned more into our favourite songs, like Casio and Back On 74. We tried to make it cohesive while being new and modern.”
We could make cheesy or poppy stuff, but do we want to stand behind that? Passion has built the long-term culture and vision that is Jungle
Joshua Lloyd-Watson
It’s been a big couple of years for Jungle. Looking back, what was it like to win a BRIT in 2024?
JL-W: “It’s important for us to build something we’re proud of all the way through. Jungle never really liked playing the game, but having done it, and won, it was amazing. We stepped into the mainstream a bit but kept our credibility.” Indeed, you’ve been enjoying your biggest ever commercial success lately. Could that be from taking a long-term approach?
JL-W: “I’ve always been obsessed with the artistry, the music and being proud of the product. We could make cheesy or poppy stuff, but do we want to stand behind that? Having passion and putting it into the music has built the long-term culture and vision that is Jungle. It gets applied everywhere: the graphics, the videos, the merch, being onstage… It’s a long train that comes from the core of the band’s taste.”
Do you think the strength of that identity has been key for your commercial collaborations, like GAP’s homage to Back On 74 with Tyla?
JL-W: “For sure. For collaborations, we’ve always tried to pick things that feel natural. Adverts have been ripping [us] off since day one. I remember supermarkets putting out ads that aped the choreography of Heavy, California. Since then, brands have realised it’s better to come to the source.”
Finally, how is the live side of things shaping up for touring this album?
JL-W: “Touring is in a funny old state. It used to be a band’s bread and butter, but with rising costs, inflation and trying to keep ticket prices relatively low, it’s difficult to keep the tour on budget. It’s challenging to execute what people expect from an arena show within the financial remit of what’s allowed, but we put in a lot of effort and time.”
LK: “The shows will be really fun. We’re looking forward to playing Move Like You Do and other [songs] from Sunshine. It’s quite disco and a bit more sassy. It feels like these songs are really going to work live.”
LK: “The shows will be really fun. We’re looking forward to playing Move Like You Do. It’s quite disco, a bit more sassy.”
