4/10

Since first exploding onto the electronic music scene in the late 90s with their cultural fusion of electro and world influences, Basement Jaxx have been one of the most recognised names in British music for over a decade. But after a few mediocre releases in the latter half of the 2010s, we thought we had seen the last of them. Now the pair are back with their first studio album in over five years and are once again looking to light up the dancefloors the world over, but with so much change on the scene, both technically and fashionably, have they managed to create a new body of work worth paying attention to?

On the first listen, 'Junto' would hardly be considered a Basement Jaxx album. Gone are the loud, brash nods to carnival music and in comes the formulaic house music that is currently the sound of now. The only problem is that they clearly have no real passion for this genre as the result is a drab and uninteresting record that fails to really show the eclectic mix of styles the pair were once famed for. Instead they have opted for a basic house sound without any of the hooks or trademark flare they have delighted us with in the past.

While the album still has some of that same diversity as previous works, they haven't really created anything rememberable or earth-shattering in the process. It's definitely not the comeback we were all hoping for.