Leon Bridges – Happiness Anytime

A pairing that truly makes sense is Jungle and Leon Bridges. Hearing this combination is like finding something you’ve always known, something that fits so perfectly. Happiness Anytime works that way: a rich and radiant collaboration with Leon Bridges at the helm, produced by J Lloyd-Watson and Lydia Kitto of the British trio. Upbeat and complex, with a heavy, funky bassline coursing throughout the album, Jungle brings a light-hearted, playful turn to Leon Bridges’ signature sound, creating an album ideal for a sun-drenched setting.

Light the Way and Tears of Joy set the record’s tone. Released earlier this summer as tasters, they are seasonal tracks that reflect the optimism and radiance of the album. Of all the songs on the tracklist, Tears of Joy particularly picks up on Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti’s musical influence and the innovation of Paul Simon’s The Rhythm of the Saints, calling especially to the bonus track Spirit Voices with its dainty yet intricate melodies, but it’s a sound that carries through the album, opening it up to a vibrancy continued by numbers like Illusion and the soulful title track.

Side B starts with All Day, All Night, a plucky song that confidently invokes Bossa Nova and blends it with Bridges’ ever-strong vocals; playful and summery, it’s a shame it comes so late given the early-autumn release. Fly Baby brings the album back to tracks Bridges is known best for: beautiful backing vocals, smooth, ringing guitars and 1960s soul through and through, with added lightness. The remaining tracks keep this going, making the record a striking mix of the artist we know and a new sense of joy and movement that truly makes it “music to excise the stresses of modern life”, as Bridges describes the work.

From start to finish, the album serves as an enduring and seamless showcase of skill, highlighting the talent and artistry of some of the best names in today’s music landscape. Though a beat too late to be the release of the summer, it feels like a record that creates its own warmth and brightness, regardless of the season.

Daisy Grace Greetham
Image: Joshua Kissi

Happiness Anytime is released on 25^th September 2026. For further information or to order the album, visit Leon Bridges’s website here.

Watch the video for Talk It Over here: