SOUNDTRACK TO THE SUMMER

This music collective spills the details on their third album

- HITANSHI KAMDAR

“I would rather create something that makes me feel something. I don’t want to be in a box where I cannot do what I want to do emotionally,” says Josh Lloyd-Watson, emphatically, as he speaks to me from his sunny backyard in London. One half of British producer duo Jungle, LloydWatson is currently preparing for the launch of their highly anticipated third album, Loving in Stereo with his co-musician and childhood friend, Tom McFarland.

Dubbed as a “music collective” by the entertainment media, Jungle has always focussed on their music separately from external influences and commercial considerations, and this forms the core of their third album. Released almost three years after their second album, For Ever, which was an ode to heartbreak and teemed with emotions, Loving in Stereo is a complete antithesis of its predecessor.

Talking about the hope infused in the tracks, Lloyd-Watson says, “We wanted our audience to find new love. We’ve also personally moved on in our lives, both creatively and romantically. And with Covid, it’s almost as if our personal experiences got reflected in the world, so the context feels more relevant now.” The relevance refers to the optimistic disco-infused undercurrent prevalent in every track of the album.