Leon Bridges has released the first of three 4-song EPs which will form his new album “Happiness Anytime.” It’s a unique release strategy from a musician who always takes the route most creative.
“Happiness Anytime” finds Bridges returning to the warmth of “Coming Home” while embracing the groove and adventurous spirit of his celebrated collaborations with Khruangbin.
On “Happiness Anytime,” Bridges and Jungle’s signature sensibilities intertwine to create something entirely new—an expansive, borderless sound that pushes Bridges into thrilling new territory. There are echoes of Fela Kuti, the wanderlust of Paul Simon’s “The Rhythm of the Saints,” and the warmth of Jorge Ben, but the album never feels referential.
Above all, it is unmistakably Leon Bridges: his singular voice, effortless charisma, and melodic instincts transforming those influences into something wholly his own. It’s an album built for long days and warm nights and will undoubtedly become the unofficial soundtrack of this summer.
He’s released the first of three 4-song EP’s that will ultimately complete the 12 song album. Out today are “Light The Way,” “Tears of Joy,” “Illusion,” and “Your Love Is Electric.” Fans can pre-order the album HERE.
Groove became the organizing principle for the album. The first recording sessions produced songs that felt like natural intersections between Jungle’s rhythmic sensibilities and Bridges’ roots-oriented songwriting. Later sessions pushed further outward. By the time the collaborators reconvened in August 2025, they were drawing inspiration from Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat, Brazilian music, soul, disco, and South American rhythms.
“We’d been listening to a lot of South American music and Sergio Mendes,” Lloyd-Watson says. “We infused it with these Latin rhythms and African rhythms — music that had groove and soul and feeling.”
Those influences never feel ornamental, like a band recreating the past because it’s cool. Instead, they form the LP’s epicenter, with rhythms moving with purpose, basslines breathing without obstruction, and horn arrangements landing with force. At the center of it remains Bridges’ warm and expressive voice, pushing the LP to colorful highs.
Then there’s the album’s title, “Happiness Anytime,” which serves as both a mission statement and an invitation.
“It’s music you can put on no matter how you’re feeling,” Kitto says, “and it makes you feel happy and it makes you want to get up and dance.”
Check out the four tracks here:
