Nia Archives - Emotional Junglist 

If ever there was an album so aptly titled to vertically lay you down, it’s Nia Archives’ ‘Emotional Junglist’ - a tenderly flooring exploration of the dualities between love and heartbreak. “To be an Emotional Junglist is to feel everything and nothing all at once,” says Nia. “It’s to be calm yet chaotic, sane yet manic – up, down and sideways”. Here, breakbeats with violins and hi-hats over basslines string Archives’ turntable tendencies together with vulnerability on her highly-anticipated second studio album.

Immediate energy and edge from ‘Feelingz Go Numb’ and ‘Around Tha Bend’ do not disarm the moments this record is unafraid to take things off the dance floor, intersecting with, rather than soundtracking, the party. ‘Emotional Junglist’ embodies the post-rave experience throughout, using 808 States’ iconic bird call samples to reminisce on walking home as the sun rises. As the poster girl of jungle, Archives bridges her cultural stomping ground to uncharted territories, authentically capturing something vitally sentimental in her vocal performance and uninhibited songwriting. With no corners of the octave left unturned, prolific sampling leaves her footprint on a blend of genres (pop, indie, post-punk and new wave), as she “grow[s] and wave[s] goodbye to familiarity”. Still, catchy hooks between chopped syncopations mean native jungle tracks like ‘Get Me Down’ embrace accessibility whilst uplifting the genre.

Rebellious, sexy and dangerous, this is an evolved Nia; she’s untethered and boundless, traversing the new without straying too far from the old. Hosting features like Sampha and Jorja Smith, coupled with sophisticated levels of production, ‘Emotional Junglist’ earns pride of place amidst Nia Archives’ discography. She’s flying high in ’26, with an album that breaks through the ceiling of her potential.