Khruangbin’s newest album, A LA SALA was released on April 5th, and it’s the perfect album to transport you further into spring. The title means “to the living room” in Spanish, and you won’t regret heeding the call and putting your feet up as the record whisks you up into a sublime state where the only requirement is to let loose and nod your head to the beat. Mood lighting optional.
Khruangbin is a three-piece band from Houston, Texas featuring Laura Lee Ochoa on bass, Mark Speer on guitar, and DJ Johnson on drums. Chosen by Ochoa, who was learning to speak Thai at the time, “Khruangbin” means “airplane” or “flying engine.” Their name is fitting on many levels; the band’s sound is influenced by 1960s Thai funk and their music feels like flying through a psychedelic, glowing lava lamp.
Part of the brilliance of Khruangbin is that their sound lives at the cusp of so many different genres – soul, funk, psychedelic, surf-rock to name a few – as is evident in this new album. Mostly instrumental, A LA SALA is a fusion of all these different sounds. Tracks such as “Juegos y Nubes” and “Hold Me Up (Thank You)” are full of funk with groovy guitar riffs and hypnotizing bass on top of fun drum beats. Other songs are a bit more soulful, such as the opening track “Fifteen Fifty-Three.”
The band’s world tour comes to Philadelphia in May, with three shows at the Met on the 21st through the 23rd. For full details, check out the WXPN Concert Calendar, and watch the new music video for “Hold Me Up (Thank You)” below.