Khruangbin Preview First New Album Since 2020 With the Idyllic “A Love International”

Vibey Texas trio Khruangbin have announced their fourth studio album, and first since 2020’s Mordechai, sharing A La Sala’s lead single ahead of its April 5 release via Dead Oceans and Night Time Stories Ltd.

“A Love International” is everything we’ve come to expect from the ever-consistent Khruangbin, a mostly instrumental meditation with the sure-handed interplay of Laura Lee Ochoa’s bass and Mark Speer’s guitar as its mantra. DJ Johnson’s easygoing percussion trails just behind the head-nodding rhythm, rather than pushing it forward, as if allowing the song to move at its own organic pace. Ethereal vocalizations float through the background like benevolent spirits, rising alongside Speer’s riffs and cinematic synth as the track climbs through a steady crescendo, then swiftly fades out.

The music video for “A Love International” (dir. Scott Dungate) is set on a plane, where a young girl (Elizaveta Bunina) falls asleep reading a romance novel, authored of course by Khruangbin, that shares the track’s title. She dreams of a Thai beach, where, on an inflatable out in the water, a bevy of local boys and girls interrupt her reading and each try their hand at impressing her. But the girl chooses the one she had first shared a quiet moment (and meal) with, kissing him at sunset and appearing to make good on the track’s title. It’s a sweet (if literal) little story that fits well with the song’s romantic undertones.

“A Love International” is a satisfying first preview of A La Sala (“To the Room” in Spanish), as well as further evidence of the psych-rock, dub and R&B amalgam that has made Khruangbin a name to know. The Houston trio will play Bonnaroo and Boston Calling this year, and have graced the soundtracks of everything from Barry and Ramy to The Holdovers and Palm Springs, sold out renowned venues including New York City’s Radio City Music Hall and Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre, and collaborated with the likes of modern soul star Leon Bridges and Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré.

You can watch the band’s “A Love International” video above, stream the track here, see A La Sala’s tracklist below and preorder the album ahead of its April release right here.

A La Sala Tracklist: