by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Melbourne’s Jungle Breed play post-punk with a hint of sweetness, more cheerful (at least in tonality) than your average punk export. There’s a strong current of art rock weaving its way into their sound, driving but never really aggressive. The band - Lincoln Healy (Property), Isabella Orsini (Pinch Points), and Angela Kinna (Ecosystem) - are set to release their second album, WYNONA, PALOMA, PAPILLOMA, on September 1st via Blossom Rot Records, and from what we’ve heard, it’s a sheer delight. The band bend jagged corners with pop jangle, there’s an immediacy to their songs but land with a sense of ease. Jungle Breed’s tri-vocal approach reminds us of bands like Cable Ties and Wireheads, acerbic but radiant, built on shaken harmonies and skeletal garage punk sustain.
Having shared “Livin’ Lux” and “Slugs” already, the album’s announcement comes together with the release of “Machiavellian,” a song that has the band soaking in the bubblegum sweetness of their sound, with massive melodies and a brilliantly circular hook. It’s a damn “bop” as the kids would say, with a hook that sours despite subtle dynamics. The single explores the idea of everything remaining in a singular constant state, the band reminding us “it’s all same-y, I’m not growing at all,” and while you get the idea that the band are looking outside themselves for the theme, they deliver it with the utmost sincerity. The song’s hook is enormous, jangly where needed and sticky sweet everywhere else. Confusion be damned, listen to Jungle Breed.