One of Australia’s biggest independent acts The Jungle Giants unveil a brand-new single, “Treat You Right;”
The track was written and produced by the band’s Sam Hales, and follows previously released songs “Heavy Hearted,” “Sending Me Ur Loving,” and “In Her Eyes,” all from their highly anticipated impending new studio album, due out later this year.
“Can’t wait to finally share Treat You Right,” says Hales, “This is one of the first tracks I wrote for the upcoming record and also the first duet we’ve ever released. It’s Janet Planet from Confidence Man singing on the track and she’s brought the sass.”
The music video for “Treat You Right” was brought to life by long-time collaborator Melbourne filmmaker Julian Lucas. Following a worldwide search for Sam Hales’ doppelgänger, the music video takes the concept of personal growth to a whole new level, exploring a story of self-love and acceptance.
“It’s the first duet I’ve ever made. I’d been working on this pretty heavy and hard 90’s style 808 beat. Once I had the beat going it felt really nice to sing a kinda sad and pretty melody over the top. The track is pretty much a guy explaining to the girl of his dreams he’s the best one for her.”
The LP will follow massively successful Quiet Ferocity (2017) and has already produced smash hits including “Heavy Hearted” which is ARIA-certified Platinum. “Sending Me Ur Loving” was lauded by KCRW as having “exquisite hooks and pristine production,” with Vogue naming the track one of the Best Songs of 2020. All three of the singles released thus far have placed in Triple J’s Hottest 100.
“We love being able to create a little world – the band asserts – We can set all the boundaries and the rules and it feels like a perfect little space I can tap into every time we open up the session. We’re enjoying that more and more as I produce more too.
Sam Hales, lead guitarist adds: “I love sticking to a routine. I’ve got a couple ground rules I like to set.. like having a space separate from my house, having a clock in and a clock out time. These help me kinda relax. When I get to the studio each morning,
I work on a new idea until lunch. Then I come back and work on an idea from the previous day/week. That way I’ve always got something new on the boil and I don’t leave good ideas behind.”
“I’ve definitely found my own voice with music and production lately – he states – It didn’t used to be as clear, and I drew heaps of Inspo from bands like Hot Chip. I still absolutely adore them, but I’m leaning more and more into myself these days.”
The Jungle Giants 2020 world tour found the four-piece in the United States, Mexico, Japan, UK, Netherlands and France just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March. With further touring cancelled and strict lockdown in Australia enforced, Hales focused his efforts on writing and recording the band’s forthcoming album. Hales found himself embarking on new, creative risks, inspired by the likes of Timbaland and Ashanti in his ‘90s production style and vocal falsettos.
“Things have been going from strength to strength with this new record and we’re so excited. We took a bit of a leap of faith with it and it looks like people are responding really well. Will be doing the same thing again and again I reckon.”
