It’s been two years since renowned psychedelic funk trio Khruangbin teamed up with R&B singer/songwriter Leon Bridges for Texas Sun, a collaborative EP that paid homage to their shared home state. Now, both with new albums of their own under their belts (Khruangbin’s Mordechai and Bridges’ Gold-Diggers Sound) they’ve joined forces once again with the aptly-titled Texas Moon. Where its predecessor could feel at times like Khruangbin were building accompaniments around Bridges’ melodies, afraid to overshadow him, the five tracks on Texas Moon play more naturally to both artists’ strengths and come together to form a more fruitful and distinct collaborative statement.
“Doris” opens the project on a moody, circling guitar and bass line drenched in washes of reverb and wah, sounding like Isaac Hayes’ “Walk On By” sinking into a swamp, but when Leon’s voice enters it grounds the song on more pensive footing; weaving in and around the band as he sings a touching, contemplative ode to his grandmother and her passing. It’s an example of this pairing at its best, with Khruangbin’s ability to use a little to fill up a lot of space bringing the best out of Bridges’ restrained yet emotive vocals, and setting the tone for the tunes that follow. The grooving “B-Side”, a sister song to Texas Sun’s “C-Side”, builds up increasingly catchy layers of vocals, bass, organ, and percussion over Mark Speer’s punchy fretwork, with Leon’s charisma behind the mic elevating what could otherwise be fairly standard fare for Khruangbin into a sexy rave-up perfect for a dance party on a warm summer night.
Bridges turns in one of his all-time best performances on “Chocolate Hills”, sounding not too far off from Frank Ocean as he sings romantically about “kissing on your rose-colored lips” over a perfectly minimal production from Khruangbin. Laura Lee’s stellar bass part, mixed right up front with the vocals, guides the tune along while Speer’s liquid guitar and fluttering synthesizers swirl around Bridges like he’s floating in space. On the EP’s back half “Father Father” starts off promising enough, but neither Leon nor the band really takes it anywhere that would justify its 6-minute runtime. Thankfully the ship is righted with “Mariella”, a beautiful song that features strong performances across the board; Speer’s guitar shimmering, Lee’s bass holding down a relaxed groove with DJ Johnson’s drums, and Bridges’ easy croon floating on top of it all, lost in memories of a past love.
