On Soleil Vinyl

A LA SALA is Khruangbin's fourth studio album, following a slew of live releases, remixes, a Late Night Tales mix, and collaborations with Vieux Farka Touré and Leon Bridges. With this record, the Texas trio return to their essence, largely exploring simmering, low-key rhythms with minimal vocals. The group's musicianship is as tight as always, yet they specialize in making airy, spacious grooves that are enticing and comforting rather than hard-driving. While it was easier to point out the key influences in the band's sound on their earlier records, from Thai funk to Afro-pop to flamenco, by now it's just easier to identify the group's atmospheric guitars and steadily paced snare slaps as sounding like Khruangbin. Of course, music as pleasant and vibey as theirs has a tendency to fade into the background sometimes, and A LA SALA simply don't have the memorable hooks that made Mordechai the band's best and most exciting record, nor is it as inspired as their collaboration with Touré. Even if it doesn't push the envelope too much, there's still plenty to enjoy about A LA SALA. "May Ninth," a gentle, hopeful tune about anticipation, is refreshing, like drinking a cool beverage at a poolside resort. "Pon Pón" revisits the group's disco side, with lightly shuffling drums and tasteful guitar licks shaded by multilingual whispers. "Hold Me Up (Thank You)" is a funky highlight with rippling guitars and affectionate lyrics about praising family members and loved ones. "A Love International" has another sublime groove and a guitar line which reaches upward in search of transcendence, but doesn't get overly dramatic about it. A LA SALA is Khruangbin's most stripped-down effort since their debut, but it isn't threadbare, and fans of the group should find it worthwhile.

A1 Fifteen Fifty-three
A2 May Ninth
A3 Ada Jean
A4 Farolim De Felgueiras
A5 Pon Pón
A6 Todavía Viva
B1 Juegos Y Nubes
B2 Hold Me Up (Thank You)
B3 Caja De La Sala
B4 Three From Two
B5 A Love International
B6 Les Petits Gris