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Description
**Texas Sun**, the 2020 EP by Khruangbin and Leon Bridges, is more than a mere collaboration-it is a hypnotic séance where the psychedelic currents of Austin's underground collide with the soulful gravity of gospel-tinged R&B. Released via Dead Oceans in February, this five-track offering finds the duo navigating the dusty highways of the American Southwest, transforming heat and hankering into a meditative soundscape. It's a project where Leon's baritone is bathed in reverb, stretched into something both sacred and secular, while Elvin and Nazareen of Khruangbin provide the swirling guitar textures that turn the record into a moving car radio at cruising speed. The production-handled by the duo themselves-leans into psych-soul territory without ever feeling derivative, capturing a late-night drive through the Lone Star State with its sticky humidity and endless horizons.
Critically, the EP was embraced by the hip music underground, with Pitchfork hailing the title track as a "simmering road-trip number" that renders the oppressive Texas heat into something more mellow [1]. WKCO 91.9 noted how the western folk-like roots of the opening track touch on chasing daylight while Khruangbin's buildup of vocals without apparent resolution creates a sense of suspended time that only a true desert road can inspire [2]. It's a record that rewards repeated plays, each one revealing new layers of instrumental interplay and lyrical ambiguity that refuse to be pinned down by easy genre classifications. The collaborations are seamless by design-there are no egos on display, only two artists who've already shared the stage multiple times, knowing exactly how to fold their strengths into something greater than the sum of its parts. A worthy addition to any vinyl collection seeking something both sonically rich and atmospherically expansive.
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<sup>[1]</sup> Pitchfork Review, February 2020 - <a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/khruangbin-leon-bridges-texas-sun-ep/">khruangbin-leon-bridges-texas-sun-ep</a><br>
<sup>[2]</sup> WKCO 91.9 Album Review, February 2020 - <a href="https://www.wkco919.org/albumreviews/2020/2/18/texas-sun-by-khruangbin-and-leon-bridges">texas-sun-by-khruangbin-and-leon-bridges</a>
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