Brisbane indie mainstays The Jungle Giants return with their fifth album Experiencing Feelings Of Joy and a major Australian tour set to begin in June.
by Paul Cashmere
Brisbane’s The Jungle Giants have confirmed their fifth studio album, Experiencing Feelings Of Joy, due for release on 8 May, alongside an extensive Australian tour that will take the band across the country from early June.
The announcement lands days after the release of new single Tell Me How It Feels, a track that signals a decisive shift for the band and sets the thematic tone for the record. Frontman and principal songwriter Sam Hales describes the album as the product of a period that pushed him to reassess both his life and his creative instincts.
“I’d overextended and kind of cooked it, but I really found myself,” Hales says. “That’s where the joy comes from, having this unwavering hope even after experiencing adversity. This record is what everything culminated in for me, because I’m so in love with it and I’m so addicted to music again.”
The title, Experiencing Feelings Of Joy, reflects both the personal journey behind its creation and the sense of release embedded in its songs. Hales has been the band’s creative engine since their formation in 2011, steering The Jungle Giants from jangly indie beginnings through dancefloor-driven reinvention to the chart-topping success of 2021’s Love Signs, which debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
Formed while still students at Mansfield State High School in Brisbane, The Jungle Giants, Hales, Cesira Aitken, Andrew Dooris and Keelan Bijker, built their audience through early EPs before breaking nationally with 2013 debut album Learn To Exist. That record, introduced by I Am What You Want Me To Be, established their melodic sensibility and earned strong support from triple j, leading to festival slots at Splendour In The Grass and Big Day Out.
By the time of 2017’s Quiet Ferocity, the group had evolved into a leaner, rhythm-focused outfit. Singles including Feel The Way I Do and Used To Be In Love became multi-Platinum staples, with Quiet Ferocity taking out Best Independent Album at the AIR Awards. The transformation continued on Love Signs, propelled by the breakthrough of Heavy Hearted, which polled prominently in triple j’s Hottest 100 and marked their first major ARIA Singles Chart entry.
The new album arrives after 2023’s Trippin’ Up offered an initial glimpse of the next phase. With Tell Me How It Feels, Hales leans into self-examination while retaining the kinetic pulse that has become a hallmark of the band’s live shows.
The forthcoming tour will see The Jungle Giants supported by The Tullamarines and Tear Drive, underscoring their ongoing commitment to championing emerging Australian acts. In addition to headline dates, the band will appear at Good Gumnuts Festival in Burnie and multiple Here Comes The Sun events in Torquay, Margaret River and the Gold Coast, as well as The Big Chill Festival in Armidale.
Across more than a decade, The Jungle Giants have navigated the shift from guitar-driven indie to club-ready pop without losing their core identity. With Experiencing Feelings Of Joy, Hales frames the record as both a personal reckoning and a creative renewal, a statement from a band that has consistently expanded its scope while maintaining a loyal national audience.
Tour Dates
Fri 05 Jun, Castlemaine, Theatre Royal
Sat 06 Jun, Melbourne, Forum
Fri 12 Jun, Sydney, Enmore Theatre
Sat 13 Jun, Brisbane, Fortitude Music Hall
Fri 19 Jun, Canberra, UC Refectory
Sat 20 Jun, Adelaide, Hindley Street Music Hall
Fri 03 Jul, Forth, Forth Pub
Sat 04 Jul, Hobart, Odeon Theatre
Fri 10 Jul, Wellington, Meow Nui
Sat 11 Jul, Auckland, Powerstation
Sun 12 Jul, Christchurch, James Hay Theatre
Sat 18 Jul, Perth, Astor Theatre
Festival Appearances
Sat 07 Mar, Burnie, Good Gumnuts Festival
Sat 04 Apr, Torquay, Here Comes The Sun
Sat 25 Apr, Margaret River, Here Comes The Sun
Sat 02 May, Gold Coast, Here Comes The Sun
Sat 16 May, Armidale, The Big Chill Festival
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