Khruangbin recently announced that A LA SALA, their first new album in four years, will be released April 5th, and this week debuted the dates for a sweeping North American tour stretching from April to October. For Philly fans, that means two nights at The Met, May 22 and 23; John Caroll Kirby, a producer for Harry Styles and Steve Lacy who creates his own singular blend of jazz, pop, and indie, will perform an opening set at both shows. A rotating group of openers will accompany the band at other dates on tour: Latin guitar duo Hermanos Gutierrez, New Delhi psych-rockers Peter Cat Recording Co., dreamy indie pop group Men I Trust, and the eclectic jazz artist Arooj Aftab.
“A Love International”, the first single off A LA SALA, has all the beloved hallmarks of the Khruangbin sound. There’s a thumping, calmly funky bassline by Lauren Lee Ocha matched by DJ Johnson’s persistently groovy drumming. Guitarist Mark Speer’s deeply soulful, incredibly calming soloing propels the track on, while the group’s haunting and gorgeous wordless harmonies float above the instruments. Khruangbin has always had a distinct and consistent sound yet they’ve avoided easy genre categorization since the start, creating a signature sonic stew of funk, surf-rock, and psychedelia. Their biggest hits stem from Texas Sun and Texas Moon, two collaborative EPs with the always-evolving soul singer Leon Bridges. They also served as backing band for a variety of artists (Toro Y Moi, Men I Trust, Nubya Garcia, and Kelly Doyle) on a collection of albums released last year.
Check out WXPN’s review of the band’s 2022 Met concert while we await their return; the concerts go on sale Friday, February 2nd at 10 a.m., and more information can be found at the WXPN Concert Calendar.