Khruangbin

In a barn in Burton, Texas, three Houston musicians worked out a sound built on old Thai funk cassettes from the 60s and 70s. Laura Lee's fat, melodic bass, Mark Speer's reverb-soaked guitar and DJ Johnson's steady, unhurried drums make hazy, mostly wordless grooves, and even the band's name, Khruangbin, is Thai for 'aeroplane'.

The Universe Smiles Upon You drifted between surf, soul and psychedelia, and Con Todo El Mundo turned instead to Iranian and Middle Eastern records. Mordechai brought voices to the front, while the Texas Sun and Texas Moon EPs with Leon Bridges slowed things into dusty, late-night country and R&B.

Ali, made with Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré, honoured his father, Ali Farka Touré, and A La Sala returned to the stripped-back, largely instrumental trio style where it all began, before 2025's The Universe Smiles Upon You ii reworked that debut from scratch.