Before relocating to Texas, Andy Stepanian and Mason Brent, the multi-instrumentalists who perform as Leon III, developed a devoted Southeast regional following as members of Wrinkle Neck Mules, a late-‘90s, Virginia-based ensemble that leaned heavily into bluegrass and country. But, Stepanian, the group’s principal songwriter, admits that he eventually become disenchanted with the area’s string-music scene and decided it was time they tapped out. “I wanted to push away from that as a writer,” he says. “Leon III’s origin was for that purpose.”

When Leon III—pronounced “Leon the third”—released their self-titled debut in 2018, naturally, Stepanian says, it retained a few discernible hints of the musicians’ alt-country past. So, for the follow-up, he and Brent pushed the boundaries decidedly further out. And at first listen, Antlers in Velvet does suggest a beautifully rendered nexus of panoramic Texas expanse and the sonic sedation of certain British psychedelic-rock royalty. Yet, Stepanian is quick to point to a more formative source of inspiration. “I like Pink Floyd, for sure. But, in a lot of ways, it would be a lot fairer to talk about the Grateful Dead as a direct influence on me,” Stepanian, a veteran of many memorable Dead shows at RFK and Merriweather Post Pavilion, says.

Yet, despite the collective-minded bands in their pantheon, Stepanian and Brent still prefer working as a slim duo. For Antlers, Stepanian and Brent handled the lion’s share of parts. (Onstage, they serve primarily as the project’s guitarists.) “Mason is a very talented and unique guitar player. I am not,” Stepanian says with a laugh. For both albums, they also employed a select cast of personnel that fit their intentions, similar to the recording process of another iconic ‘70s group, Steely Dan.

Stepanian completed much of Antlers’ framework at his home studio, before decamping to Marin County, Calif., with Brent to work alongside producer Matt Nevers at Stinson Beach’s Panoramic House. For the basic tracking and overdubs, they invited a handful of friends and guests from bands such as Morphine and Calexico to contribute, finishing things off with a final session at Nashville’s Sound Emporium.

“We wanted to explore things musically,” Stepanian says. “At the end of the day, the thing we like to do most is create in the studio. I love the idea of changing the color palette around and having the Leon III sound evolve.”