UK-based band Ali In the Jungle debut their 4-track EP Anyway and fabricate full-flavoured musical aura through genre-hopping techniques – the quintessential balance between funk, blues, and hip-hop. 

Triggering every feeling between both extremes of the mood chart with the high-energy hit “Drunk Generation” to the warm, gentle undertones of “I Don’t Even Know You,” I have been fortunate enough to chat with them about their latest release which you can certainly stream on Spotify now. 

You can read the full interview down below, and be sure to stream Anyway, out now.

SECOND SOCIETY REPORT: First, what is the meaning behind the name ‘Ali in the Jungle’?

ALI IN THE JUNGLE: “Ali In the Jungle” is a song by The Hours which Tim & Sam first heard on the soundtrack to FIFA 2008. It is about getting back up after you’ve been knocked down and uses Muhammad Ali as an example of carrying on in the face of adversity. Tim -always a lover of puns- thought it would be funny to name his and Sam’s band after our friend Ali to get him to be our drummer. It worked, and the name stuck!”

SSR: Which bands do you find most influential to the band and sound itself?

AITJ: In terms of being influential on us getting started as a band, and our initial sound, I’d say predominantly classic pop-rock and noughties indie rock, so: The Beatles, David Bowie, The Killers, Queen, Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Coldplay, Keane. Because we quickly started to explore multiple different genres, and our piano sound naturally began to differentiate us from some of those, I think we now sound a bit more like 10cc, Talking Heads, Vampire Weekend, Everything Everything, Blondie, Steely Dan, Belle & Sebastian, Ben Folds Five. But we get comparisons of all kinds!

SSR: What would you consider your style or genre?

AITJ: The second-quickest answer to that question is innovative indie with a sprinkling of jazz, blues rock, funk, folk, piano pop, and more. An even quicker answer is: a bit of almost everything.

SSR: Is there anything specific you’re working on at the moment, an album, new release?

AITJ: Our music video for “People Change” will be coming very soon — keep an eye on our YouTube channel for that. We’re also looking into home recording and will hopefully be releasing a single or two by spring 2021.

SSR: A song-specific question – what was the inspiration behind “Drunk Generation?” It’s a funky, high-energy song so what are your thoughts on performing it? How does it feel?

AITJ:  Tim says about it that, “At school you’d often hear about the drunken antics people got up to: sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, often both. I couldn’t relate. I really felt a sense of pressure to drink and fit in by inhibiting my sensibilities, but I didn’t want to. I still think it’s a shame that some people feel a need to have a drink in social situations in order to have the confidence to feel they can be themselves — the idea of needing some substance in order to be oneself or to relax is scary. I feel like “Drunk Generation” was me putting a personal line in the sand about the whole thing – a statement of intent to myself.” In terms of performing it, it’s definitely one of our favourites, and makes it onto almost every set list. It’s always the very final song though, when we’re all knackered, and it’s not an easy song for any of us to play; like I play bass on it, so it’s doubly hard because my fingers are stretched on the bass frets. But it feels amazing because it’s such a fun song to hear and to play!

SSR: As a band, what would you consider your biggest accomplishment as of now?

AITJ: Warming up for Beans on Toast at MK11 back in March was pretty amazing. We felt so lucky to have been nominated by the venue and chosen by Beans himself! It was a fantastic gig and it felt like the beginning of being able to warm up for some seriously good acts. Then a global pandemic happened (you may have heard about it). Hopefully, we’ll be able to get back on that bandwagon [pun intended] soon.

SSR: Is there a hobby outside of music that inspires or contributes to your musicality? For instance – an activity that rejuvenates your creative approach to writing/producing/performing?

AITJ:  We’re all big film fans, and I know that Tim often starts writing songs immediately after watching films which have a big emotional impact on him. That has actually been bizarrely helpful because we’re working on the score for a short film which will be on the BBC — I think the way we write music is already quite sectional and narrative-oriented, already a bit like film music. 

SSR: Where do you see yourselves and the band in 3-5 years?

AITJ: Fingers crossed, with at least 1 album under our belts, as well as a handful of festival line-ups and decent supporting slots. We already have a small but loyal fanbase, and we’d love to see that grow to a medium and loyal fanbase. However I don’t want to put too many goals or expectations in place — we’ll keep doing what we do and see where we find ourselves.

SSR: What is your biggest fear or setback musically? (For instance, creative block, losing inspiration, trouble collaborating, etc.)

AITJ: For me, I worry about the band just drifting apart over time. That fear goes away every time we play together though. Musically, I guess I would be worried that we can no longer agree on what kind of music to make; we’re already 4 people with very different music tastes so it might happen at some point. We’ve been managing to make it work for 8 years now, though, so hopefully I don’t have much cause to worry.

Stay in the loop of Ali in the Jungle’s releases on Instagram, Facebook and endure the tasteful musical mechanics of Anyway on Spotify now: