Image via Pooneh Ghana //
The new track, titled ‘Chocolate Hills’, sees the two acts take a stark left turn to their previous collaborations for what’s one of their most minimal creations yet. Made up of a simple drumline, meditative guitars and steady baseline, the ballad is no doubt designed to let Bridges shine utterly and fully. And shine he does, his emotive vocals treading between R&B and funk as he sits in the pocket of the surrounding instrumentation.
As usual, the collab taps into Texan sub-cultures and genres, paying tribute to soul, funk and R&B as as Bridges sings atop Khruangbin’s psychedelic instrumentation; one that’s reaffirmed by the desert-infused visualiser. It’s a proper a love letter to the South, and it seems there’s plenty more well on the way, with the two acts’ forthcoming EP Texas Moon set to land on February 18th.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pipxxww5gTo
Speaking on the minimal nature of the new track, Bridges explains “What I love about that one [‘Chocolate Hills’] is how we went with a bare-bones approach. There’s a time and place for big production, but I love how stripped down it is.”
It’s definitely on the more refined side of the Khruangbin and Leon Bridges discographies, but of course, it works perfectly. Be sure to buy/stream it here and pre-save Texas Moon here.