When I think of all the musical pairings and collaborations that have occurred in contemporary music, few come to mind as harmonious as Khruangbin and Leon Bridges. The former, a slow funk and psychedelic trio, and the latter a soul singer, both sides bring a similar easy-listening, smooth delivery, as well as ambitious, considered lyrics and arrangements. The strongest portrayal of this is ‘Texas Sun’, the title track from their 2020 EP, which both sums up and creates the mood of a relaxed, all-is-well summer’s day.
In some ways, the success of Texas Sun resulted in a high standard that Bridges and Khruangbin now have to live up to. In their latest release, the EP Texas Moon, the pairing do live up to this standard, but, sadly, in an at-times tepid way, with some songs needing a bit more individuality.
What overarches the magic of this pairing is the effective unison of Khruangbin’s chilled funk and hypnotising basslines with Bridges’ range and soulful, emotive singing manner. The EP’s opening track, ‘Doris’, is a strong beginning and sets up the EP to continue on to reach high levels. Its slow, echoey funk with Bridges’ lyrical delivery, which always seems to lengthen and slow down the lyric just enough, epitomises what works so well in the musical unison.
A welcome change of pace to the EP’s opener comes from its B-Side track. Bridges’ range is best shown off here, with his high and low notes complementing the faster tempo of the song. Though, lyrically this track doesn’t feel to be at the standard of the others. Both Bridges and Khruangbin, respectively and as a pairing, can bring real poeticism and gentle emotion to their songs. This B-side seems to neglect the lyrics ever-so-slightly in favour of the instrumental when they’re capable of excelling in both areas.
To continue the splitting of hairs, this EP’s momentary leaning towards timidity does occur in its middle, where two of the five songs, ‘Chocolate Hills’ and ‘Father Father’, do feel somewhat samey. Though that isn’t to say they’re without merit.
‘Chocolate Hills’ exerts great lyrical consideration, with the sultry and suggestive lyrics like ‘kissing on your rose-coloured lips’. It’s further merited with the synth and bassline that strum throughout. ‘Father Father’ also is strengthened by its lyrics, particularly in the pleasing and neat rhymes, as well as the atmospheric backing vocals, which Khruangbin are always impressively skilled at. Comparatively, though, both tracks don’t feel different enough, and in an EP of five songs, two causing a sense of repetition will let down the whole collection.
‘Mariella’, the final track, does what each song should be doing throughout. An immediate pace and arrangement shift is clear when it starts. The meandering guitar beginning feels warm and controlled, which then opens up to Bridges’ emotive singing. The chorus of the repeated ‘Mariella’ with the lengthened final ‘a’ at the fourth repetition seems so simple yet so heartfelt as the song’s story is drawn out. As the guitar fades away at its end, the EP finishes on a strong note.
Bridges and Khruangbin have clearly hit a musical gold mine. Both have their own unique sound, and when brought together still manage to retain their individuality as well as create something fresh and exciting. They can really create a mood and an ambience with their music. But with such an idiosyncrasy can come the pitfall of sticking to what you know. Going forward, as a fan of theirs, I’d love to see them keep pushing the barriers of what they know and do what they’re doing right in this Texas Moon EP.
3 stars out of 5
