If there were a frequent-listener punch card for Khruangbin, mine would’ve been embarrassingly blank until recently. I was late to the party. At a concert for another band last year, their name came up and my friends were stunned I didn’t know them. You would absolutely love them, they said.

They were right.

I started where most newbies do — with Con Todo El Mundo. And it clicked immediately — the groove, the restraint, the way the basslines feel like they’re walking beside you. It was immersive without being overwhelming, global without trying too hard.

Hunkered down in an NYC winter — gray skies, yellow snow and all, “A Love International” transports me immediately somewhere warmer, sunlit, unhurried. A monochrome mood. Like most Khruangbin tracks, the instruments do the storytelling. The guitar feels like it’s singing to me — bending and gliding like vocal cords. The bass and drums doing their thing almost hypnotically. It’s a vibe.

What I appreciate most about Khruangbin is their refusal to stay in one lane. Thai funk, soul, surf rock, dub — they’re all mingling together like longtime acquaintances. A trio from Texas creating music that feels borderless. Today “A Love International” is my escape hatch.