The Visual World of Khruangbin

Contributed by Amanda Long

Hailing from Houston, Texas, Khruangbin is a three piece band that has steadily built an exceptionally passionate fan base over the past decade. The genre-bending group have won over listeners with their bass-heavy psychedelic rock tracks that provide a floating, escapist listening experience that one may say is what you’d “hear inside a lava lamp,” as perfectly described by The New York Times.

Arriving with their first single in 2014, the band – consisting of Laura Lee Ochoa (bass guitar & vocals), Mark Speer (guitar & vocals), and DJ Johnson (drums, keyboard, & vocals) – has now been making music for over a decade, with their most recent album, A LA SALA, released in April of this year.

With a simple set-up that pulls influence from a fusion of global sounds, Khruangbin (which means “flying engine” or “airplane” in Thai) has gained massive recognition for their instrumental storytelling, retro aesthetic, and calming vocals – not to mention the iconic black wigs worn by Ochoa and Speer on stage and in all promotional photos.

However, another huge part of the band’s public presentation is how they incorporate and uplift visual artists’ work into their music's brand.

Khruangbin has been praised by their fan community for commissioning both local and global artists to design different posters for each of their shows, beginning with their tour in 2021. While tour posters themselves are a fairly common merch item, Khruangbin is distinctive in how they create their eye-catching, specialized pieces for each tour date by collaborating with artists of various visual styles and backgrounds. This concept offers fans a unique and memorable concert experience, while also drawing business to 2D artists and designers working in the industry.

During their current tour promoting A LA SALA, Khruangbin has been posting each poster on social media with direct credit to the respective artist’s profile. With the rapid growth of bootleg merch coupled with the louder demands by fans for more creative merch and subtle designs, Khruangbin is ahead of the curve by providing their community a tangible way to visually connect with their music, building an art-centric world that represents their sound and aesthetic.

The correlation between this demand and consumption rates is clear, with the band’s June 8th Chicago poster, designed by M. Fatchurofi, selling out completely within 30 minutes of doors opening for the show.

Another prominent poster on the 2024 Khruangbin Tour was the June 5th Columbus show poster, created by Mokshini. This was Mokshini’s third poster design for the band, having designed two others in 2021 and 2022. The imagery features a beautiful park scene framed within a window.

This week, Softside had the opportunity to chat with Mokshini and learn more about the inspiration behind her piece.

1. How did you come up with the concept for this poster?

I loved this collaboration because all the artists followed a unified concept. It was exciting to see what everyone else created from the same brief.

The composition of their latest A LA SALA album cover and the paintings by René Magritte were the main sources of inspiration. My location was Ohio, and after doing some research, I became fascinated with the Topiary Park that mimics Georges Seurat’s ‘A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.’

I enjoy drawing people in everyday, relatable moments, so I included a man in overalls cutting a hedge.

2. What is your general creation process like? What medium(s) do you like best?

I like using acrylic paint, especially because I love texture and layering.

For this particular piece, I tried something different and used soft pastels on watercolor paper to start with. By using the side of the pastel, I created a 'hedgelike' texture. I then gradually added acrylic paint in parts.

Generally, I make a sketch for approval first and then use a light box to transfer the draft onto the final paper.

3. Would you like to design more for musicians / concert posters in the future?

Absolutely. I’m not a graphic designer, so creating posters is a fun challenge —working on composition, fonts, and other elements. My work is very visual, but it's interesting to integrate information seamlessly into the mix.

4. Where do you draw inspiration from for your work (other artists, places, etc.)?

As cheesy as it sounds, my environment inspires me the most. I love sketchbooks and drawing the people around me. Observing interactions, everyday life, and activities in the city are my greatest sources of inspiration.

5. Was there anything challenging about creating this piece? Did you ever feel stuck at any point in the process?

Creating the actual texture of the hedge efficiently was quite a challenge. The soft pastel on rough paper created a quick and effective base, allowing me to go back in and add texture with acrylic on a dry brush.