It got to a point where anytime I’d turn on the radio and a song came on that I liked, it was by Bradford-born Nia Archives. A quick listen to 2024’s Silence Is Loud and I realise that radio was right: this is an artist who absolutely needs to be heard.
And we’re not the only ones who think this: the Mercury Prize panel, PinkPantheress and Beyonce have all sung their praises – a decent group to garner credit from I must say.
Emotional Junglist follows in the footsteps of previous highs and offers more evidence towards what I said before. Bringing the crash and pound of Jungle beats together with the airy atmosphere of Indie, Nia Archives, once again, delivers on an unspoken promise by creating what is undoubtedly a standout album of the year.
The album’s plot sheds light on topics re-hashed to no end in music: love and (in worst cases) heartbreak. A deliberation of a once promising relationship turned disappointing, the title is definitely apt as Nia Archives tours us around months of her life. Opener ‘Feelingz Go Numb,’ throws us straight into her mind and clarifies we’ll greet all emotion with no filter: “What have I done?”
This is a mantra that houses itself amongst the album. “The spirits come around, pick me up lift me out my past/I’m a stranger to myself,” the lyrical hook of ‘Around Tha Bend’ lets us join in on evaluations. This is an artist who’s laying it all out in the open by confiding in her writing.
It’s these opening songs, along with the album’s first single ‘Danger’ and ‘Vertical’ that are relentless in their presence. Those thick beats synonymous with the Jungle sound ground themselves in every verse, offering this relentless energy you can’t shake off. It’s a bold way to open an album but makes sure it’s one you won’t forget
Giving us a breather, ‘This Could Be…’ and ‘Dance With Me 2Nite’ are gentler moments, but not without credit. Industrial bass tones are replaced (briefly) with instrumentation which, stick with me here, wouldn’t go amiss on The Strokes’ The New Abnormal. It makes sense for such a U-turn though as focus shifts onto the first weeks of a new relationship: “Dance with me tonight/Let hesitation sit this one out.”
Towards the end of the album, things start falling apart (in terms of plot I should add, not musically.) Beats which once carried tales of positive beginnings are now tainted with pain, as we once again witness a state of inner turmoil: “Didn’t know I was so far gone / I was standing on the edge / There goes my head.”
“Lovers Grief” and “Boys in Blue” bring us round in a full circle. Similar in stature to those opening tracks, we re-enter the dancefloor in a state of despair. It’s something echoed in the lyrics of the former: “You look different from the other side of love”
Just two full-length albums in, Nia Archives is cementing her legacy. Taking inspiration from what’s gone before can be difficult, but it’s something she does perfectly. Callbacks to Jungle, Indie and Alternative are all evident. But Emotional Junglist doesn’t seek to mimic genres, merely meld them into something completely new.
Nia Archives: Emotional Junglist – Out 17 July 2026 (Island Records)
Archives – Danger (Official Video)
