“For us, it’s about the energy—we always play like it’s our first and last show,” says J (Josh Lloyd-Watson) of London-based, modern-soul and “mid-tempo, ‘70s-stylefunk” outfit Jungle. “There are a lot of us onstage, so it’s about improvisation and having a great time.”

J and T (Tom McFarland) have known each other since they were nine-year-old neighbors and have played music together since their early days at Latymer Upper School, including a stint in the group Born Blonde. As far as the band Jungle goes, it all started in 2013 when they played their first show on a cold night in Manchester, England.

“You can never predict what will happen when you share your music,” J says of their moniker. “It felt like an all-encompassing word—one that means different things to different people, and we liked that about it.”

Jungle consider themselves an artistic, energetic collective and aims to focus on audio, visuals, video and artwork rather than on their individuality—hence the names J and T. In the live setting, they’re backed by a seven-piece band, and instead of just replaying what’s on their laptops, they like to create organic versions of these tracks.

While J notes that it can be difficult to describe his band’s sound and that they don’t ever want to set boundaries for themselves or be pigeonholed into a genre, they “try to make music that we think sounds good and that has emotion or some sort of feeling ingrained in it.” The “specific feelings in sounds, whether that’s emotionally or sonically,” are influences for Jungle, including “the beautiful harmonies of The Beach Boys and the twisted tales of some underground, U.K. hip-hop.”

Jungle’s creative process is “one where you have to always be alert, ready to react to a feeling and confident enough to capture it.”

While describing the songwriting and development process behind last summer’s self-titled debut, he adds, “Ideas can come from anywhere—it’s just about channeling the energy into something understandable.

“Every day, something crazy and unexpected will pop up—it’s what keeps it exciting,” J characterizes of life on the road. “Whether it’s Tyler, The Creator driving onstage in a go-kart or a power-cut in the Alps, it’s always interesting.”

As he looks ahead in 2015 and beyond, J explains: “We enjoy being out at festivals, meeting people and playing shows. It’s always a nice return to the control of a studio, where you can try things more than once.”