- Jinja Safari may have announced their break-up in January, but clearly they weren’t ready to exit the stage just yet, instead they’ve released a huge collection of new songs. It’s been billed as a ‘thank you’ album to all of their fans, so it makes sense that they’ve effectively just decided to put out all of their previously unreleased songs on a double album. There’s something for everyone across the two records, Crescent Sun and Crescent Moon, collectively titled a Crescent Head, after the band members’ home town. Sure the end result is definitely a lot longer than it needed to be, but it works, and it will no doubt please the fans, which is what really matters.

The first album, Crescent Sun, is filled with all of the upbeat, radio-friendly songs the band have become known for during their six years of making music together. Embracing everything that was sickly-sweet about their Africa-inspired pop sound, and then some. At every turn this record is upbeat and fun, from the catchy melodies and tribal rhythms of tracks like Find My Way and Kilimanjaro to the the smooth vocal harmonies of Primary Colours.

If Crescent Sun is the sunny side of Jinja Safari then Crescent Moon is definitely the deep and dark night. This ying-yang approach of separating all the warm and fuzzy songs from the darker, moodier material isn’t exactly an original concept, but it’s well executed and both albums are able to stand up on their own. The title track is ethereal and raw, with a simple vocal melody and slow building chorus. Exception To The Rule is one of the longer tracks, it’s more of the same sombre vocals, embellished with a wide array of instruments including a beautiful harp. Crescent Moon shows a side to Jinja Safari that hasn’t really been seen as much with their previous releases, and would have been something very interesting to see more of had the band stayed together.

Ultimately Crescent Head is everything we are promised. A big finale from a great outfit who have worked really hard over the years and deserved to go out with a bang. The contrast between the two albums is expertly managed and shows the full range of sounds the band is capable of. If this is the last we ever hear of Jinja Safari, then it’s certainly been a pleasure listening to them.

- Emily Strong.