“Talk About It,” the latest track from British songwriting and production duo Jungle, debuts today accompanied by an official music video.
Co-written with their friend and frequent collaborator Inflo—a Mercury Prize and Ivor Novello Award winner for his work with Michael Kiwanuka and Little Simz—the luminous song premiered on Annie Mac’s Hottest Record in the World. “Talk About It” appears on the duo’s highly anticipated new album, Loving In Stereo, which is set for release August 13 via AWAL.
“‘Talk About It’ is the second single from our 3rd LP Loving In Stereo and it definitely gives listeners another taste of the energy we’ve delivered on this album,” explains Jungle co-founder Tom McFarland. “The bass riff and drum break were recorded very early on during the process of making this record and it was one of the songs where we really bottled the essence of the idea from very early on and not over-work it.”
Jungle directed the video for “Talk About It” alongside longtime collaborator and creative partner Charlie Di Placido, the second entry in a larger project to create a visual identity for every track on the album. “The video is high energy and was one of the last we shot during the week of filming. You can see that the dancers are at their limit and that gives an incredible atmosphere to the performances,” furthers the other half of Jungle, Josh Lloyd-Watson.
n March, Jungle released the album’s lead single, “Keep Moving,” which garnered attention from Rolling Stone and Billboard, the latter of whom proclaimed “‘Keep Moving’ is a funky, feel-good disco-soul sermon with its almost gospel-choir-like chorus and stirring strings.” Most recently, the duo unveiled a remix of the track courtesy of beloved DJ and producer The Blessed Madonna; listen to/share the remix HERE.
As Loving In Stereo is an album that embodies what’s sure to be a summer of social liberation, it’s fitting that Jungle are experiencing something similar. Lifelong friends J&T are embracing the new-found freedom of launching their own label for the first time, a decision that has initiated a creative rebirth. They’ve ditched the external influences, put commercial considerations on the backburner and avoided second-guessing what people expect from them. Instead, they’ve taken their music back to their roots, to a time when they could make whatever music they liked without overthinking it. The album’s themes exude positivity: new beginnings, new love and fighting back against the odds. “When we write music there’s hope,” adds Lloyd-Watson. “Maybe today we’ll create something that influences people and changes the way they feel. If you can make something that lifts people, that’s an amazing feeling.”
Loving In Stereo was recorded at J&T’s own studio as well as The Church Studios. The album features songwriting contributions from Inflo as well as vocal contributions from rapper Bas and rising star Priya Ragu, which marks the duo’s first feature collaborations.
In support of the forthcoming album, Jungle has confirmed an extensive run of worldwide tour dates. Adding to their already vibrant live shows, the duo will create the feeling of stepping into a Jungle video shoot by amplifying the focus on their choreography and visual aesthetics. The run of North American dates kicks off in Boston on October 3 and includes shows at DC’s Anthem, Chicago’s The Riviera Theatre and Philadelphia’s The Fillmoreas well as multiple performances at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre and Brooklyn’s Avant Gardner. See below for the full tour routing.
Jungle was founded by J&T, who met at the age of 10 in West London’s Shepherd’s Bush. They began making music together at the beginning of 2013, choosing to put the aesthetic emphasis on the music’s surrounding artwork/videos rather than on their own identities.
Jungle’s 2014 self-titled debut album was a Mercury Prize nominee and is now Gold-certified, while their 2018 follow-up, For Ever, peaked at #10 on the UK Albums Chart. Their two records have since amassed over 750,000 equivalent album sales and nearly a billion streams worldwide. They’ve performed on five continents, headlining venues both stateside and abroad while performing at major music festivals such as Glastonbury, Coachella, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza. Jungle has appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “Ellen.”