For someone who has never been to Texas, Texas Sun and Texas Moon made me feel like I was born and raised there. They were enjoyable albums, but they had some issues. Texas Sun and Texas Moon are sister EPs created by Khruangbin and Leon Bridges. Khruangbin is a Texas-based band featuring Laura Lee on bass, Mark Speer on guitar and DJ Johnson on drums. Leon Bridges is a singer and songwriter who grew up in Texas. Their EPs are a homage to their home state as well as a blend of genres like neo-soul, gospel and indie.
Texas Sun’s biggest strengths are its instrumentals and the vocals. In songs like Texas Sun, C-side and Conversion, the vocals and the instruments compliment each other without overpowering one another. They enhance the feeling of the song without making it distracting. They know when to let parts shine and when to keep them in the background. The vibraphone interlude in C-side was a great way to keep the listeners intrigued between verses.
Texas Sun’s biggest strength is also its biggest weakness. In Midnight, the instrumental overpowers Bridges’ voice. The meaning of the song was lost because the background percussion sounded more interesting. The driving rhythm section made Bridges’ lyrics sound slow and underwhelming.
The mood of Texas Sun is nostalgic and groovy, with cool guitars and fascinating percussion. The up-tempo songs are perfect for long road trips throughout the Lone Star State. Some of the stand-out lyrics are: “Caressing you from Fort Worth to Amarillo/ Come on, roll with me/ ‘Til the sun dips low” from Texas Sun, and “I was smacked in the face with grace/ Your righteousness given to me” from Conversion.
Texas Moon has a more melancholic and mellow vibe. Most of the songs are slower and have heavier themes. In Doris, Bridges’ vague lyrics and Khruangin’s dragging instrumental contribute to the mysterious feeling of the song. The twangy guitar reminds me of blues music but with some alternative backing vocals. Another song with a great guitar feature is Chocolate Hills. Bridges’ croony vocals mix well with the soulful instrumentation.
Unlike Doris and Chocolate Hills, B-side isn’t a good balance between vocals and instruments. Bridges’ vocals are overshadowed by the funky bass and weird percussion. His vocals seem out of place compared to the other components in the song. Mariella contrasts slow, pleading vocals with energetic drums, but it works. The lyrics are vague enough to allow listeners to project their own lives onto them.
The best song on Texas Moon is Father Father. It reminds me heavily of gospel and blues music. The melodic guitar in the introduction was a great way to pique a listener’s interest. The song is reminiscent of a prayer or a song heard during church. It uses religious allusions and figurative language to describe Bridges’ internal struggle. “The weight of your sin is heavier than a thousand tons” is an obvious reference to Christianity. Bridges’ and Khruangbin do a great job of balancing the heavy lyrics with the instruments without one overwhelming the other. Some other lyrical highlights are: “Just a man with unclean hands, from you, I hide my faith,” and “My love steadfast and never stops, continue on and it never slows down.” This song reminds me of River, another song by Leon Bridges with religious themes. They both narrate Bridges’ religious journey and include Christian imagery.
I liked listening to Texas Sun and Texas Moon, but both projects could’ve used more time to refine the songs. On some songs, it sounds like Bridges just sang on top of an already finished instrumental because the vocals didn’t fit with the song. Their collaboration was unbalanced at times. Khruangbin’s alternative and experimental sound didn’t always compliment Bridges’ gospel and neo-soul vibe. The best songs from the collaboration are some of my favorites of all time, but the worst songs are ones that I skip immediately when I listen to them.
