The Universe Smiles Upon You ii<\/em>, an album of re-recorded, reimagined songs from their debut. It\u2019s out today, 10 years to the day since the original.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tThe band was initially unsure of how they wanted to mark the occasion, or what a re-recorded version of their debut would even sound like. \u201cThe thought was like, \u2018We\u2019ll just do it all over again. And it will be us 10 years later with the same instruments in the same location, and it\u2019ll be different because we\u2019re different,\u2019\u201d Laura Lee Ochoa, the band\u2019s bassist, says in an interview over Zoom. \u201cBut as the date neared, it was sort of, \u2018Actually, the kids 10 years later would think about the songs as they are today, and not<\/em> just play them as they were. That\u2019s not who we are.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\tThe Houston trio, which comprises Ochoa, guitarist Mark Speer, and drummer Donald \u201cDJ\u201d Johnson, have released four studio albums, a collaborative album with Vieux Farka Tour\u00e9, two EPs with fellow Texan Leon Bridges, and several live EPs since first appearing on the scene in the mid-2010s. Khruangbin\u2019s signature sound of mostly-instrumental psychedelic rock, which pulls from global influences from Thai rock to Southern soul, has made them a staple of the festival circuit and a much-imitated act.<\/p>\n
\n\tSpeer says it was important to get the sound right as they revisited their debut. \u201cI wanted to get really textural with it,\u201d he says. \u201cI wanted to come in almost from an ASMR standpoint. I was going to play acoustic guitar on some stuff. I was going to put contact mics and everything, so all the squeaks and the noises and the air in the room has this dusty sound.\u201d Influenced by their work with Arooj Aftab, they also added drum loops to several tracks.<\/p>\n
\n\tFans will notice that the track listing has been rearranged. \u201cBin Bin,\u201d a hidden track from the original\u2019s vinyl, replaces \u201cMr. White,\u201d and Ochoa, who typically sequences the band\u2019s albums, reordered the rest of the songs around it. \u201cThe sequencing didn\u2019t make sense in the original order,\u201d said Ochoa. \u201cI usually have to find the first song. What is the central thesis statement of the record? And it was definitely not the first song from the last record.\u201d Here, Speer comes to the original album\u2019s defense: \u201cIt didn\u2019t make sense this<\/em> time. The sequencing in 2015 was perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\tWhile they made some changes, Khruangbin still wanted to approach the reworked album the same way they recorded The Universe Smiles Upon You<\/em>. That included returning to where they recorded the debut, a bare-bones barn on a property owned by Speer\u2019s family. \u201cIt\u2019s just corrugated tin walls. There\u2019s no insulation. It\u2019s dirt floors,\u201d he says. \u201cSo when it got cold, it got really cold. We started stuffing the cracks in the doors with blankets just to keep the wind from blowing through.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tThe band was drawn to the barn in part because of how Texas it felt, an identity the trio has always worn on their sleeves. \u201cHouston specifically is woven into the fabric of who we are,\u201d DJ says. \u201cSecret\u2019s out now because everyone\u2019s moving here, but Houston has its own unique blend of cultural flavors that meld here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n
\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n
\n\tThat appeal of seemingly disparate cultures coming together is reflected in the band\u2019s music, but their Texan roots are something they often return to. It\u2019s what drew them to work with Leon Bridges on their two collaborative EPs, 2020\u2019s Texas Sun<\/em> and 2022\u2019s Texas Moon<\/em>. \u201cWhen Texans hang out with Texans, we kind of have this unique understanding of each other,\u201d DJ says. They add that they intended to make a full album together with the singer, but say that Bridges\u2019 label wasn\u2019t sold on the idea. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t something that they felt confident about,\u201d Ochoa says. \u201cAnd I sent a Hail Mary email to everyone I could, saying that I thought this music deserved to be heard.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tKhruangbin are heading on the road for a short run of intimate shows to celebrate\u00a0The Universe Smiles Upon You ii,<\/em>\u00a0with tickets available to members of the band\u2019s Khru Club. \u201cWe\u2019ve purposely decided to play smaller venues and smaller rooms. And I think that in itself is really exciting,\u201d DJ says. The trio\u2019s DIY ethos has kept them close-knit, and carried them through the highs and lows of being in a band, he adds: \u201dWe have a saying, \u2018Always bet on Khruangbin.\u2019 We\u2019ve learned to just lean into ourselves and be who we are unapologetically.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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