Khruangbin & Leon Bridges - Texas Sun

Days are long gone when I feel relaxed about anything. It’s been a tough year for me in terms of things going on in my personal and work life. On top of that, we are all in a global pandemic. Social media, the primary form of media I use, is rife with misinformation, panic, and people trying to intentionally start drama and attacks on all forms of media (social media, TV, newspapers, etc) is the new norm. I can’t speak for anyone else, but this year has been a constant state of unease and tenseness that, try as I might, I cannot seem to be in a state of slack. I haven’t felt a sense of comfort in what feels like years.

Up comes Texas Sun, an album by Khruangbin & Leon Bridges which was released in February this year. It is an album that seeps funk and soul with romanticism and Americana at it’s pores. It is the warm jacket on a chilly afternoon. It is the cool breeze after a boiling hot day. The album has 4 tracks, but it has some of the most crucial four tracks that I’ve ever needed in this point in time.

I’ll start with the first track on the album, Texas Sun. The song title manages to convey the soundscape of the track effectively, and from the second the electric guitar starts playing after 15 seconds in, you know you are in for a good time. The song is essentially a romanticism of a partner at a specific time. The song is beautifully crafted, and I’ve become instantly hooked. It makes me want to go driving forever on a sunny day where the air is crisp and cold.

The second song, Midnight, is much more heavily leaning towards romance, and it is again absolutely superb. It’s a different tone to the first track as the title suggests - the first is daytime as the sun is about to set. Midnight is the listener sitting at the back seat of the same car in the evening alongside a loved one while the world slowly turns. Like Texas Sun, it’s a deliberately and effectively crafted track.

C-Side is the third track, and this is definitely a track to groove to. This paints a mental picture of a group of friends/strangers whom are attracted to each other, and it’s that beautiful moment of will it/won’t it happen but leans closer to it will happen with the drums and the bass encouraging the connection through a groovy rhythm. It really is a treat to the ears.

Conversation is a more sultry song. It’s a good song, but I tend to absorb the guitars, the drums, and the woodblock and block out the rest. It’s definitely the album’s wind-down track to the excitement and the shenanigans before. I feel like it’s the album’s weaker track, but if that’s the weakest track the album has got, then that’s a hell of a compliment to the album.

Texas Sun is a great album to unwind to on the weekend, either alone or with a loved one. And for $4, what better way to spend relaxing than with ~30 mins of 4 great, funky/jazzy songs. Highly recommended if that’s your sort of music.