Thai funk trio Khruangbin has been rocketing in popularity ever since the release of their debut album, The Universe Smiles Upon You, in 2015. Last month, at a hometown gig in their native Houston, they were joined by fellow Texan Leon Bridges where they debuted two new songs “Texas Sun” and “C-Side”.
It now appears that the Leon Bridges sit-in wasn’t merely just a one-off, as the two acts have announced a collaborative EP to be titled, Texas Sun, and shared the project’s title track on Tuesday.
Related: The Story of Khruangbin: Global Sounds, Sonic Journeys, & “All That Rad Sh*t” [Interview]
The album is due out early next year February 7th, and will be the third EP from Khruangbin following 2014’s The Infamous Bill.
“We try not to have too much of an intention, because it gets in the way of what the music wants to do,” Khruangbin’s Laura Lee said about the organic nature of the collaboration in a statement. “If you just let the music do what it’s supposed to do, it will reveal itself. We tried to take that same approach with Leon. For us, it was opening up our world to have another person in it. But all of it feels like Texas to me.”
Listen to Khruangbin and Leon Bridges’ new single, “Texas Sun”, below.
Khruangbin w/ Leon Bridges — “Texas Sun”
[Video: Dead Oceans]
This summer was one of collaboration for a group that has shied away from sit-ins in the past. At LOCKN’ they were joined onstage by Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio for a medley of their own songs, and at Desert Daze Khruangbin joined Wu-Tang Clan for a funky rendition of “Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)“.
Texas Sun is available for pre-order here.