Aimee Cliff reviews Emotional Junglist, the second album from Bradford-born drum'n'bass artist Nia Archives, describing it as a self-assured record that pairs breakbeats with heartfelt, angsty songwriting. Structured as an album of two halves charting a whirlwind romance followed by heartbreak, it builds on the acclaim of her Mercury- and Brit-nominated 2024 debut Silence Is Loud, cementing her as a distinctive force in British pop and dance music.

The review notes this is Archives' first album recorded with a full live band, giving the songs added heft, and finds her drawing on early-00s indie influences such as Arctic Monkeys and Bloc Party alongside R&B-inflected melodies, with producer James Ford among the credits. While some indie-pop leaning tracks like This Could Be… and Superlust are seen as less compelling, the melancholic second half — including Almost Always and Lovers Grief — is praised as containing some of her best pop songwriting yet, blending gloomy indie rock with skittering jungle rhythms and candid lyrics.