cousin bound came from the surprise of finding people in Bahia who made me feel closer to where i come from, not further away from it. i came here with every intention of keeping my distance from americans, expats, and all the familiar shortcuts. and yet, life did what life does. people found me, i found them, and somewhere in those gatherings i got reminded of parts of myself i did not expect to miss so deeply.

this song is about those moments when the music starts and suddenly the room feels like a Black family reunion across borders. the kind of songs my mother and father loved. the kind of grooves that make you think of long summer evenings, family reunions, soul train lines, albums stacked in the house, cousins running around outside, and grown folks laughing like the night is in no hurry to end. there is something about that  ...