Renowned for their layered, engaging, and genre-bending live show, London neo-soul outfit Jungle, riding high from the recent release of their buzzworthy sophomore LP For Ever, are set to return to Nashville tonight, March 23, to headline Marathon Music Works with Chicago dreamy electro-pop project Houses, who returned last year with a stellar new EP, Drugstore Heaven. Fans of chilled-out, nostalgic, soulful, and dense tunes will find a lot to love with both of these acts, and, even if you’ve heard Jungle’s recordings, the experience of seeing them brought to life live is unrivaled, and a show you seriously don’t want to miss. Tickets are still available right here while they last, so snag yours now and read on for more about this excellent show.
JUNGLE
Formed by lifelong friends Tom McFarland and Josh Lloyd-Watson, and expanded over the past few years to become more of an expansive musical collective, English neo soul group Jungle are an absolutely breathtaking live experience. McFarland and Lloyd-Watson, who, initially, maintained something of a secretive persona, simply going by “T” and “J” early on, formally started the project in 2013 in London, catching swift early buzz for a series of introductory singles. They caught our ear (and became critical darlings) with their eponymous debut in 2014, released through XL Recordings, and have since scored countless major festival and television appearances, prominent placements (their retro, genre-bending sound lends itself seamlessly to commercials and television shows), and a dedicated following. Now with seven members among their ranks, Jungle have always maintained a commitment to taking the disco, funk, and r&b soaked sounds of their recordings to a while new level live, exploring broader textures, nuance, and new musical aesthetic. If you dig vibey, artsy, soul rooted and experimental tunes, this band will blow your mind, especially after last year’s more honed and accessible sophomore LP, For Ever, adding a ton of great new material to the group’s strong repertoire.
HOUSES
Though they originally hail from Chicago, Dexter Tortoriello and Megan Messina’s transformation to musical project Houses really began with a three-month stint in Hawaii in 2010, sustainably living off the land while cultivating inspiration for the dreamy, etherial, electro-pop sound of their full-length debut, All Night. Breaking out with buzz throughout the blogosphere amidst the popular indie chillwave movement, Houses continued to earn critical praise for their west coast informed, conceptual, and sweeping sophomore effort, 2013’s A Quiet Darkness. In more recent years, Houses, like many of the acts associated with chillwave, seemed to have disappeared from the scene, with Tortoriello notably releasing a 2014 effort under the moniker Dawn Golden, and transitioning to more of a role in production and songwriting. Last year, however, Dexter resurrected the moniker, apparently sans Messina, returning with a tweaked sound for new EP Drugstore Heaven, which not only earned renewed buzz for a series of strong singles like “Fast Talk,” but also for Houses’ continued employment of strong videos and visual spots. If you missed them a few years back, there’s never been a better time to get this band on your radar.
Jungle and Houses will perform tonight, March 23 at Marathon Music Works. The show is all ages, begins at 8 p.m. (doors at 6:30 p.m.), and tickets are available to purchase for $25.