Khruangbin's Mark Speer Talks Indian Influences and New Album ‘Mordechai'

The Texas alternative/psychedelic group’s latest record features more vocals and disco-funk flavors over their quintessential pillowing sound

- Anurag Tagat

Growing up in Houston, American psychedelic band Khruangbin’s guitarist Mark Speer took in all the multiculturalism that the city provided over the years, including traditions of Indian and Pakistani communities. “There’s a whole district, which they recently named the Mahatma Gandhi District, which is funny in itself,” Speer says with a slight laugh.

Speer, along with a friend, used to frequent a shop in that district called Worldwide Records and Tapes to purchase music. “It’s all written in like Hindi or one of the other scripts, so I don’t understand what any of it says. You just kind of pick it up and you just look at the album cover. You’re like, ‘Oh, this looks like fun.’” He particularly enjoyed Carnatic music. “I remember really, really enjoying [late vocal legend] M.S. Subbulakshmi. I really love that stuff. It almost sounds like they [her vocals] are double-tracked but I think it's and maybe her sister or something, singing almost the exact same way at the same time,” Speer says.

He points to his understanding of Indian classical music being more about melodies and how he often hears “a drone” for “really compelling” melodies and raagas. “Because it’s just a drone, you can’t just get by with having some really boring melody. It has to make you feel,” he says.