2 weeks ago
15
Khruangbin are currently on tour celebrating the 10th anniversary of The Universe Smiles Upon You. Now, the band has expanded the festivities by surprise-dropping a re-recorded and reimagined version of their ultra beguiling 2015 debut album. Stream it below.
The band (Laura Lee, Mark Speer, and DJ Johnson) recorded the aptly-titled The Universe Smiles Upon You ii at the very same Central Texas barn as the first Universe. However, there were some changes made this time, beginning with Khruangbin ripping up the floor to get rid of some local critters. Following that little construction project, the weather wasn’t very cooperative; what started as sunny days made for T-shirts became blisteringly cold, with the band spending four days shivering together while recutting the album.
But all that suffering actually made a positive effect, and The Universe Smiles Upon You ii is described as “warm,” as if the band was “tending a fire simply by playing together.” There’s the sound of an eastern meadowlark captured on “August Twelve ii”; the “country disco” of the newly-revamped “White Gloves ii”; and a kinetic, extended take on “People Everywhere (Still Alive).” As the press release noted, the LP “represents the close of Khruangbin’s first chapter, the complete culmination of the music they made when they arrived at the barn in January 2015.”
To accompany the new album, Khruangbin have released the music video for “White Gloves ii,” which features a most interesting dance routine. Watch it below.
Khruangbin’s debut album arrived on November 6th, 2015, via the English indie label Night Time Stories. Back in 2023, we named The Universe Smiles Upon You as one of the best stoner albums of all time, praising the trio’s magnetic, laidback chemistry: “As a trio, each member of Khruangbin is in their own paradise: Laura Lee’s classic and soothing bass parts, drummer DJ Johnson’s tight, controlled grooves, and Mark Speer’s kaleidoscopic guitar lines all converge in irresistible hues.”
The next stop on Khruangbin’s tour is a second night at Houston’s The Heights Theater, which will be followed by shows in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Washington, DC. See the full schedule below, and get sold-out tickets here.
Khruangbin’s last album was 2024’s A LA SALA.
The Universe Smiles Upon You ii Artwork:
The Universe Smiles Upon You ii Tracklist:
01. Little Joe and Mary ii
02. Balls and Pins ii
03. White Gloves ii
04. The Man Who Took My Sunglasses ii
05. People Everywhere ii
06. Bin Bin ii
07. August Twelve ii
08. Dern Kala ii
09. Two Fish and an Elephant ii
10. Zionsville ii
Khruangbin 2025 Tour Dates:
11/06 — Houston, TX @ The Heights Theater
11/09 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
11/10 — New York, NY @ Webster Hall
11/11 — Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
11/13 — Chicago, IL @ Metro
11/14 — Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
11/16 — Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater
11/18 — Missoula, MT @ The Wilma
11/19 — Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
11/20 — Portland, OR @ McMenamis Crystal Ballroom
11/22 — San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom
11/23 — San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom
11/24 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
11/25 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
English (US) · 