Khruangbin and Leon Bridges shine on Texas Moon
Dreamy, melancholic and evocative of a world outside of our own, Texas Moon is the latest offering from the Texas super-group comprised of the psych-funk trio Khruangbin and Grammy-award winning soul singer Leon Bridges. Where their first EP together, Texas Sun – from 2020, basked in Bridge’s distinctly warm vocals, Texas Moon seems to sparkle in the light of the moon and acts as the perfect counterpart to their previous collaboration.
Texas Moon is immediately melancholic, beginning with ‘Doris’, a song written from the perspective of Bridge’s father in his final moment spent with his grandmother as she died. The slow tempo is a change from Khruangbin’s usual upbeat twang; however, Bridges’ voice brings warmth to the wispy soundscape of bassist Laura Lee’s echoing backing vocals resulting in a beautiful song that sets the tone for the rest of the EP. The track that follows, ‘B-Side’ is the most upbeat of Texas Moon and injects classic funk into the record whilst retaining the ethereal sound presented in ‘Doris’. It is clear why this was chosen as one of the singles they released as I can already hear it bringing joy, and toe-taps, to any setting.
If Khruangbin’s psychedelic sound had caused us to lose our bearings along the way, we are planted firmly back in Texas in the final track ‘Mariella’ as Bridges sings: “Maybe I’ll, write a letter from this little old country town, down in Texas, I’ll keep it here for you”. Although I am currently listening to Texas Moon as snow falls over Leeds, Bridge’s rich vocal, paired with Khruangbin’s other-worldly psychedelia allows me to imagine that this EP will be the soundtrack to many happy beers drunk as the sun goes down, and the moon rises, over Hyde Park this summer.
Although they are sadly not stopping in Leeds any time soon, Khruangbin are playing a few festivals around the UK this summer so check out their Instagram for more details about where to find them.