Four bands that capture psychedelic mood music
Funny thing about vibes, they may not be seen or heard, but you know ’em when you feel ’em. You just know. Recently, PBS News found out about this new trend in music. Some have labeled it “psychedelic mood music.” But let’s address the elephant in the room.
Whether you like it or not, a little trio from Houston (pssst, it’s Khruangbin) with the big name that nobody can pronounce correctly has ushered, championed, and fostered an updated and elevated version of World music that, since 2018, has attracted the wildest Venn diagram of fans ever thought possible.
Over the past decade, that Khruangbin bat-signal has been crazily seen. What’s their sound? Thai funk, African highlife, dub, psychedelic rock, Caribbean grooves, vintage disco to go, and Middle Eastern riffs—the Houston power trio enjoys mixing shit up. It’s what they do best over steel guitars and a slow-rolling back beat, and for the most part, keeping it instrumental.
That’s the secret sauce. Without words, the music can play anywhere, allowing anyone to just listen and then connect. No language barrier. And I believe that nowadays, deep down, people actually want something to strive for, to bring people together, not pull them apart.
But we want to explore and shine a light on some bands who are pushing their own version of dare I say the “Khruangbin vibes” music. It’s out there.
If you’ve caught a Corona Beer ad, you’ve heard the band’s introspective hymnal: “The Number Four” or hit a Starbucks or Peet’s coffee. Instead of hearing any track off of Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, for the zillionth time (I love Miles, but he’s got other records too), you catch a Khruangbin mind relaxer. Listen when Theo Parrish samples them and Paul McCartney cuts a track with ‘em, they’ve officially entered the Zeitgeist.
So let’s check out how this “psychedelic mood music” (or whatever…) has spawned the perfect audible movement to combat your phone hijacking your life every friggin’ second.
Balthvs
A surf-rock fusion trio from Bogotá, Colombia, that blends dub with Middle Eastern melodies layered over cumbia, Balthvs has a distinct presence in front of audiences during performances. Their disco-influenced “Sun & Moon,” with its Grateful Dead-groove mysticism, creates sensory pathways of movement through swirling harmonies and dynamic, hallucinatory guitar stretches. I’ve seen that magic firsthand: A shapely woman in a front row, feeling it all, dressed in a revealing white dress that left little to the imagination, unbothered and free to explore the rhythm and space, alongside a skinny white guy in a puffy Patagonia jacket, who couldn’t decide if he was breakdancing or doing some Deadhead wave—merging into one.
Yuuf
The self-described outernational quartet, hailing from Switzerland, Denmark, France, and England, has just announced the release of a new EP, MT SAVA, in October. The band members describe the lead single “Mesa Mesa” as their homage to Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, embracing a heavier sound. The music features a thick, viscous texture for the droning moments, creating an atmosphere that can power up a concert just as effectively as anything that dances to a beat. Here, the heft and the weight light the charge.
Glass Beams
Glass Beams were inspired by watching Concert for George, a star-studded tribute to the late Beatles member George Harrison held at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2002. The event featured legendary Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar alongside his daughter Anoushka, as well as Western icons Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, and Jeff Lynne of ELO. Glass Beams, the Australian project helmed by Rajan Silva, blends psychedelic rock with Indian and Arabic musical influences, while incorporating a DIY electronic aesthetic into theirwork.
Unlike some of these other bands, Glass Beams move, snap, bob, sway, and lean into the groove they are performing. Some people have said the band’s signature golden tassel masks and ambiguous persona question their authenticity. You know, when I question a band’s authenticity? When they don’t move, that showcases a rhythm deficiency. Something Glass Beams would not know about.
Los Bitchos
I’ve caught Los Bitchos live in San Francisco twice over the past three years. Besides bringing a vibe of joy, embracing light, and celebrating the silly things, I remember the first time I saw lead guitarist Serra Petale. She was dressed in shorts depicting carton character Daria, delivering one incredible solo after another while showcasing a humorous faux Van Halen guitar face. Insert mind-blown emoji.
Yes, with Petrale on guitar, Agustina Ruiz on piano, Josefine Jonsson on bass, Nic Crawshaw on drums, and Ryan Fitzgibbon on guitar, they brought that era of Anatolian rock from the 1970s plus those retro-futuristic blends of Peruvian chicha, Argentine cumbia, Turkish psychedelia, and surf guitars. Live, it’s a crossed-up novel design; picture a wilding out Van Halen girl gang, high off Mezcal, spaghetti westerns, and Tarantino flicks. That’s Los Bitchos.
During my second time seeing them this past summer, I noticed a significant increase in the number of women in attendance. Many of them brought out their own air guitars and began mimicking the band, particularly Petrale. While she may joke around, she can definitely shred those solos. That? Pure inspiration in real time.
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