Psych-funk trio Khruangbin and soul revivalist Leon Bridges come together for a joint EP that pays tribute to their Texan roots
PSYCH-FUNK TRIO KHRUANGBIN AND SOUL REVIVALIST LEON BRIDGES COME TOGETHER FOR A JOINT EP THAT PAYS TRIBUTE TO THEIR TEXAN ROOTS
This year’s first unlikely collaboration has officially arrived courtesy of Houston trio Khruangbin and their fellow Texans, Leon Bridges. Having met while touring together, both parties found a musical affinity that led them to the studio which gave birth to a four-track EP entitled Texas Sun. Like the name implies, the collection aims to encapsulate their shared love for the so-called Texas sound laced with Khruangbin’s groove-laden global flavours and Bridges’ soul sensibilities.
Lead single/title track promptly sets the tone with an invitation — “Say you wanna hit the highway while the engine roars/ Well, come on, roll with me ’til the sun goes down,” Bridges croons. What follows is a breezy road trip anthem that showcases the globe-trotting psychedelia favoured by Khruangbin’s Laura Lee, Mark Speer and Donald Johnson.
The escapade gets location-specific on the sensual Midnight, a mid-tempo psych-rock offer set against the backdrop of Texan towns (“You stayed up in Poly/ I lived in Crowley Town/ Needed me to get you/ From your mother’s house/ Baby, I’ll be there”). For these love birds, escapism is on their mind — until the sun
finally sets and things get a little sultry.
Which brings us to next track C-Side.
Set to a lilting Latin funk groove, the song finds Bridges is his sweet vocal spot, singing about making sweet love to a “Melanin lady covered in all-white lace”. This whole sexy vibe, however, is disrupted by closer Conversion, which suddenly insists on taking us to the house of God with its many biblical allusions. “Holy spirit penetrated my stone,” Bridges sings, switching from a lover to a believer. “At the cross, where I first saw the light/ And the burdens of my heart rolled away/ It was there by faith, I received my sight.”