Jungle and Phoebe Bridgers have both released new albums, with the former drawing on Brazilian sounds and the latter exploring themes of sorrow and devotion.
Jungle's Sunshine Brings Brazilian Flair
Jungle, who cleaned up at the BRIT Awards in 2024, have pivoted to a fresh sound on their new album Sunshine, drawing from 1960s and 1970s Brazilian music along with a little retro folk. The album is expected to influence other artists, as their previous stylised soul sound was widely copied.
Tracks like Come Back To Me and Where Are You Now? set a laidback bossa nova vibe, with singer Lydia Kitto effortlessly playing the Carmen Miranda role. The sampladelic title track has a late 90s feel while maintaining that Elenco Records ambiance, and the groovy Someday, Somewhere is as authentically Brazilian as a serving of Feijoada.
Phoebe Bridgers' Lost Weekend Explores Sorrow
Phoebe Bridgers' third album, Lost Weekend, takes her artistry to new heights. From the start, Bridgers challenges the listener by heavily processing her voice on The Outside. Strumming guitars weave between her familiar angelic harmonies as she opens up on feelings of sorrow and devotion, vowing to “put myself together” on the self-healing highlight Haunted, sung with Julien Baker.
Still Standing offers an eerie memory of domestic violence, but the album is also full of mystery, funny, and even vengeful at times. A little celebrity melodrama doesn't go amiss on The Governor's Waltz, where she sings: “And she can pretend to be me / Since she took my place in my bed on that stage / I have not lost any sleep,” in what appears to be a dig at Gracie Abrams, who is now dating her former boyfriend Paul Mescal.
The albums are rated four and five stars respectively by the Daily Star.
