Words & Photos by Cam Cavagnaro

Thousands gathered at the Stage at Suffolk Downs to embrace the warm weather, the beauty of life and the serenity that is Khruangbin. Just one year after gracing the main stage at Boston Calling, the Texans returned to formally celebrate their fourth studio album, A La Sala.

Since their inception in 2010, Khruangbin has been shrouded with a sort of mystery, both in their personal and musical identity. Publications have long struggled to categorize what genre the band falls within and that’s part of the fun – they don’t concede to one single genre. In a world where a new band is formed every day that blends influences from dozens of various genres, Khruangbin has a signature sound that cannot be categorically defined. Guitarist Mark Speer and bassist Laura Lee Ochoa use the blanket term “Thai funk” in their definition, but there are so many words and genres that can be applied that make sense; all that matters is that their sound is one in a million.

The cover of A La Sala is a simple, but clean image of a red wall and a window peering out to a cloud, and the stage design was directly modeled after this. Khruangbin prides themselves on elaborate and dynamic stage designs, and this stage seemed rather simple until the window screens were used to actively highlight moments of each song and how they are meant to feel. The album’s second single, “May Ninth,” was first featured with the album’s red and blue color scheme, each screen exhibiting a time lapse of the clouds racing past. 

Khruangbin is known for their taciturn performances, putting a heavy focus on the music instead of crowd banter. They find other ways to connect with the crowd through their movements and eye contact, which is somewhat remarkable considering the parts they play. The band remains locked in as ever, relying heavily on their drummer David “DJ” Johnson (pictured above), whom many refer to as “time’s metronome” due to his supernatural ability to stay perfectly on tempo. This ability serves as the anchor for Speer and Lee to fill in the spaces between and add the little embellishments that make each song and show unique.

Khruangbin has concluded the A La Sala tour in the US, but they continue on to the EU in August to play out a run of festivals.

Check out the rest of Cam’s photos below. For more info on Khruangbin and their current tour, click here!