Few bands have established as distinct an instrumental sound as H trio Khruangbin. Because the launch of their debut album, The Universe Smiles Upon You, in 2015, the group have honed a mode that mixes the reverb-laden twang of spaghetti western melodies with the undulating groove of 70s disco and the earthy shuffle of funk. It’s a concoction that has crammed arenas, main audiences to sing again guitar hooks as in the event that they had been lyrics.
Following the upbeat, celebratory tone of their album, Mordechai, Khruangbin’s newest marks a return to their relaxed, mid-tempo origins. Every member shows a delicate mastery of their instrument: bassist Laura Lee Ochoa is regular, interweaving with drummer Donald Johnson Jr’s metronomic groove, whereas guitarist Mark Speer’s top-line melody soars effortlessly. The impact is expansive, spanning the sun-kissed sonic vista of Might Ninth, the humid funk of Pon Pón, and craving balladry of Les Petits Gris. Throughout the album’s 12 tracks, we by no means hear a shout, heady drum fill or crescendo. As an alternative, Khruangbin’s strengths exist in relative quietude, making their intricate music sound so light that it lulls the listener right into a newly imaginative state.
