Khruangbin & Leon Bridges – Texas Moon

Todd Michael "Leon" Bridges (born July 13, 1989) is an American soul singer, songwriter and record producer from Fort Worth, Texas. He is best known for his song "Coming Home". Khruangbin is an American musical trio from Houston, Texas, with Laura Lee on bass, Mark Speer on guitar, and Donald Ray "DJ" Johnson Jr. on drums. The band is known for blending global music influences, classic soul, dub and psychedelia. Touring together can sometimes unexpectedly open new doors and offer opportunities. Something beautiful also flourished between Khruangbin and Leon Bridges when they embarked on a joint North American tour in 2018. Both with a well-received debut album and an even more acclaimed successor, and both from the state of Texas. The click that must have been there will undoubtedly also have a lot to do with the laidback vibe that comes back in both Bridges' soul and the exotic funk of Khruangbin. And look, a while later there is actually a joint EP. So not just a small side jump. The effective start of the collaboration was a session that, according to Khruangbin, would fit incredibly well with Bridges' voice. It is said that one day after receiving it, Bridges would have sent back a version with its text. The plan was to record a B-side, but once in the studio it quickly became clear that more would come out of the collaboration. We are only too happy about that, because "Texas Sun" and "Texas Moon" combines the best of both worlds in a beautiful way. It takes some getting used to the vocal interpretation of the usually instrumental music of Khruangbin. The soulful melodies of Bridges, however, nestle wonderfully in the soft instrumentation of Laura Lee, Mark Speer and Donald Ray Johnson Jr.. More than two years ago we received a pleasant musical surprise from faraway Texas. A joint tour at the time got the proverbial ball rolling and it didn't take long for Khruangbin and Leon Bridges' laidback vibes to cross-fertilize. Texas Sun sounded like a wonderful summer ride and many fans were disappointed that the collaboration, which also seemed to be a one-off at the time, was limited to four songs at the time. For the artists in question it clearly tasted like more, because successor "Texas Moon", why make it difficult when it can be easy, was announced out of the blue at the end of last year thanks to the wonderful predecessor "B-side". The song is again largely bathed in a summery atmosphere thanks to the funky vibes of Khruangbin and the sweet-voiced voice of Leon Bridges. "Doris" opens this time the five-part, nighttime trip through the vast Texan landscape. The repetitive riff and the accompanying use of the wah-wah pedal immediately set the tempo of the song. Leon Bridges is thus given a safe-conduct to quietly drape his lyrics on the musical carpet that is displayed to him. A song to nod to during a setting sun, but luckily the second song of the EP "B-side" quickly changes that, as mentioned before. The sultry atmosphere that has been created in the meantime is driven to a pinnacle in "Chocolate Hills", also a song that has already been released on the world before. "Let's get lost in the flow", Leon Bridges sings and those lyrics can serve as a summary for the full look of the second EP. These artists try, as they also try to do in their solo work, to create a musical atmosphere in which the listener is immediately sucked in until the end of the journey. That way, "Father Father" won't wake you up from the delicious intoxication. The guitar plucking and the simple drum part, as it were, once again spread a soft bed on which Leon Bridges can vocalize his plea. The characteristic Khruangbin sound in the outro is pure enjoyment and the song gently ripples towards its last notes. In the twilight moonlight you finally get to process "Mariella". The tempo is slightly higher, which makes the guitars appear more frivolous at times and this is the only moment when Khruangbin can also be heard vocally on this EP, albeit in the backings. Khruangbin and Leon Bridges have succeeded in crafting a dark yet interesting counterpart to "Texas Sun" that fans of both artists will embrace effortlessly.