MUSIC

Leon Bridges and Khruangbin: Texas's Sun-Drenched Dream Team

Bridges and Khruangbin invite you to soak up the Texas sun.

Photo by: Jonathan Velasquez / Unsplash

There's something particularly satisfying about seeing incredibly talented artists collaborate with each other.

Today, an unexpected but beautiful collaboration entered soundwaves when Leon Bridges and Khruangbin announced their forthcoming joint EP and dropped their first single.

Khruangbin is a group inspired by '60s and '70s Thai rock, borrowing from psychedelia, funk, surf rock, and Zouk, Indian, and Middle Eastern music. Leon Bridges is a soul singer-songwriter who also draws from '50s and '60s styles, but the two artist's music is most similar in terms of its emotional resonance and peaceful, expansive atmosphere.

Leon Bridges - River (Video)www.youtube.com


Khruangbin - Cómo Te Quiero (Official Video)www.youtube.com

They're also tied together by shared roots: Both groups are from Texas, which might explain their connection. There's no question that their forthcoming EP's lead single—called "Texas Sun"—is inspired by their homeland.

Cinematic and distinctly evocative of the desert landscape, "Texas Sun" feels like it could easily soundtrack the next dreamy Western or Americana masterpiece. Centering Bridges' weather-worn voice and Khruangbin's distinct beachy, reverb-soaked guitars, it's a masterful melding of talents.

Their EP, also called Texas Sun, will be released on February 7th, via Dead Oceans and Columbia Records. It will consist of four tracks, "Texas Sun," "Midnight," "C-Side," and "Conversion."

Khruangbin & Leon Bridges - Texas Sun (Official Audio)www.youtube.com