Recommended Artists: The Happy Fits, Hilltop Hoods, British India
Rum Jungle, a four-piece pop-punk group based out of Newcastle (AU), are a rambunctious yet intelligent and wildly talented bunch. A recent interview with Newcastle Live ahead of their performance at The Cambridge Hotel Farewell Festival saw the boys candidly swap back and forth between their goofy and humorous personalities to their serious, professional demeanors, making sure to properly pay homage to the decades of music and service put on by the Australian landmark.
That kind of energy is reflected in their music… the kind of youthful, exuberant mid-tier theatre sound mixed with reflective, intimate lyricism and melodies. However, they also have range and defined emotional footpaths. Popular tune “Everything Is Easy” could have easily fit onto Harry Styles’ Harry’s House while “Keep” is the kind of island-breeze surfer sound, with an excellent vocal performance by Benny, that they could do in their sleep.
Recent release “Back Home,” along with B-Side “Today,” showcase the varied sides of the band’s current soundscape. The former, a banger despite not completely going off the rails, is reminiscent of the sounds of The Happy Fits, while the latter stays small, insular, and evocatively tender. The bands new single “Dash Of Speed” goes balls to the wall, and is out now.
“Dash Of Speed” is a full-throttle summer party anthem, encouraging the listener to throw caution to the wind and live life to the fullest. From the first beat to the last, like Wallows’ Nothing Happens standout “Remember When” and fellow Aussie’s 5SOS’ “Me Myself & I,” “Dash Of Speed,” an appropriate title, never lets up.
“So drink your drinks, smoke your smoke, and dry your tears. And don’t slow down,” they proclaim in the chorus, full-on gang vocals matching the energy of the thrashing guitars and drums. “This song is simply about having fun and never saying no a hell of a time, something we try to emulate in our live shows,” said lead singer Benny in a statement. Beyond just a do-what-you-want-when-you-want-to party anthem, there’s a bit of, “Don’t forget to be human” messaging here too: “And when you wake up tell your friends that you love em right before bed.”
Just when you think the song is coming to a close, after multiple repetitions of, “And don’t slow down,” they deliver another near-25 seconds of instrumental jamming, as their sing-along worthy backing vocals swirl around appropriately. If their goal was to find a new show encore, they’ve got one with “Dash Of Speed.”
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