The Jungle Giants, courtesy.

For those in America, the saga of the pandemic is fairly well-defined, but the experience played out quite differently in in Australia, which faced earlier and stricter lockdowns. Three quarters of The Jungle Giants faced challenges. In a recent call, guitarist Cesira Aitken said the heaviest lockdowns didn’t hit in Queensland, giving her a brief reprieve from the busy life of a touring band.

“We had just come off the road from a big tour, and mainly in America,” Aitken said. “We had a lot of time off planned, anyways, so I used it to chill and play guitar. Lockdown went pretty quick for me.”

But the other three members had a much harder time. Vocalist Sam Hales and bassist Andrew Dooris live in Victoria and drummer Keelan Bijker in Brisbane, which faced strict 100-day lockdowns.

“We have two very different experience in the band,” Aitken said, adding that only in the past five months did life begin to feel more normal.

Hales, the band’s primary songwriter and producer, channeled his energy into The Jungle Giants’ next record, Love Signs.

“He just bunkered down in his studio space in Melbourne and just kind of went mad genius on it all,” Aitken said. “There really wasn’t much else we could do.”

Aitken said that Hales took a combination of existing Jungle Giants material that has;t gotten far, as well as writing some new parts, tweaked it and turned it into a cohesive record. The band has released a handful of tracks from the album, including “Treat You Right,” “In Her Eyes” and “Heavy Hearted.”

Cesira Aitken of The Jungle Giants performs at The Independent in San Francisco on Feb. 25, 2020. Derek Simmons/STAFF.

The process was a sharp departure from 2017’s Quiet Ferocity, on which the members recorded together. Despite the isolation, Aitken said the band was able to come together for some of the early demos that existed before the pandemic. She said the band will typically hold listening parties to collaborate and offer feedback on tracks— something they did for “Heavy Hearted” back in 2017.

“The lifespan of a record starts so early, you forget that it’s not even out,” Aitken said.

The Jungle Giants finally reunited for a show in November of 2020, as Australia eased back open before much of the world. Aitken said getting back into the swing of things wasn’t too difficult. Of course, that was before they had to think about the newer songs.

“We’re literally just this week [are] getting together to rehearse album tracks as they get released.” she said.

Before starting a tour in August, the Jungle Giants will take part in a livestream version of popular Australian festival Splendour in the Grass, dubbed “Splendour XR.” It will be the band’s first virtual performance. It had bypassed the popular (and necessary) 2020 trend. The band is been rehearsing on the Gold Coast, where its performance will be filmed for the event.

Aitken said she’s eager for the opportunity to be in front of fans again.

“I’m excited to do our own shows and definitely play this new album, because [2020]  got stolen from everyone we didn’t get to play newer tracks as soon as we would have liked.”

In writing the new record, Hales tapped into ’90s pop, influenced by the likes of Timbaland and Ashanti to fuse into the band’s sound. The result is a lively and upbeat affair, something that Aitken said is relatable giving the reemergence of life and culture in many parts of the world.

“It’s such a fun record,” she said. “We all get into it and I think that’s always a really good sign for a record. I feel like that will translate with the fans as well.”

Jungle Giants are planning an early 2022 return to the U.S., including a stop at San Francisco’s Bimbo’s 365 Club.

“I actually have totally forgotten what it would be like to travel overseas,” Aitken said. “We’ve been doing a lot of domestic, but that’s like riding a bike because it’s so easy to get around here!”

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.