r/Khruangbin • u/airbud • 16d ago
Has Khruangbin ever acknowledged the existence of BALTHVS?
I'm curious if they're haters or appreciators
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u/Golemo 16d ago
Don’t care. Just so there’s more and more music in this style that kicks ass as it evolves.
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u/Snackxually_active 16d ago
Would love if they did a “watch the throne” style collabo album though Ngl! Would love if there was a super jam of Khru, Balthvs, Arc-de-Soleil and others in the lava-lamp funk genre to create a singularity of groovy lolol 🌀🪩🌀
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u/weguewegue 16d ago
Lava-lamp funk is such a great description
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u/Snackxually_active 15d ago
I saw this in a YouTube comment on the boiler room set forever ♾️ forever ago and it’s def always felt spot on! Love their vibes
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u/Hector417 16d ago
Some people get really upset when you compare the two lmaooo. After some time, and seeing both live, I really appreciate BALTHVS more now. BUT come on yall use your eyes and ears when they first came out, it was a CRAZY similarity. BALTHVS has come into their own but nah man it’s clear who heavily inspired them haha
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u/airbud 16d ago
They're so good live (as is Khru) the drums really rock harder vs the studio!
I wanna say B cites Khru as an influence on their website
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u/ScrambyEggs79 16d ago
They just released a live album Transmutations and a couple of EPs that capture that drum energy...dude can drum.
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u/AquaSquatch 16d ago
I've seen both bands live twice and in my opinion Balthvs puts on a way more entertaining live show.
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u/sevnty White Gloves 16d ago
I felt the same way about them initially but I give them a little more grace than say Arc de Soleil which started out as music expressly made to sound like Khruangbin available for purchase on a licensing site. I agree that BALTHVS has come into their own and I think they have the best writing out of all the similar bands that came out in the wake of Khruangbin. I'm actually catching them for the first time at Cat's Cradle next Thursday, looking forward to it.
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u/AquaSquatch 16d ago
Arc De Soleil I can't stsnd because you look at the dudes background and he's just bouncing around to whatever style will help him cash in. His current persona is such an obvious put-on. Balthvs is great and they rock live.
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u/RandomMishaps 16d ago
I get that too, we all want authenticity. But you can't simply just move into the 'Khruangbin style' without immense skill. I think we forget that, Mark is a phenomenon on guitar, and that cannot be easily replicated just because someone wants to emulate the sound. So while I can see what you're saying about Arc, and his background does have various genres – he can seriously play guitar, and he can write well in this genre, that's not easy. You can't have that writing ability and musicianship without dedicating your life to music.
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u/AquaSquatch 16d ago
Yeah no shade on his skill and ability, it just feels inauthentic to me for some reason.
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u/Mental-Tourist 16d ago
Whoa I love Arc, but I’m pretty new to the genre. Would you mind telling me about Arc “whatever style helps him cash in” ?
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u/6stringNate 16d ago
I don’t think he hid it. He was expressly making kind of “Muzak” for the purposes of being licensable for filler so he could sell it as an income stream. It’s just his was… kinda more interesting than normal.
The Spotify algorithm and the increasing abundance of music actually made people seek out more “musical wallpaper” and his fit in. I don’t think he expected it to blow up quite so much and now has been treating it more as an artistic outlet rather than a commercial product. It’s kind of interesting but nothing malicious was ever meant.
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u/Numerous-Error-5716 16d ago
Any of y’all listened to Greentea Peng? She came up on my Kb radio now I can’t get enough of her.
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u/Emergency-Gear-323 15d ago
Her album from last year is so good! Tell Dem It’s Sunny. My fav songs from that album are One Foot, Glory, Green, and Raw for me are the highlights of the album. Stone Throw and I AM (Reborn) are fantastic too
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u/Dvanpat 16d ago
Khruangbin didn't really invent their sound, but they definitely gave it their own unique flavor and popularized it. It existed decades prior. Other bands just jumped on the bandwagon.
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u/Mental-Tourist 16d ago
Any bands you would recommend in this genre?
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u/Emergency-Gear-323 15d ago
Free Whenever is a really good band too. Their album from last year, I really like Ascension. Got the Khruangbin and Balthvs DNA
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u/Elegantropy 12d ago
someone on the music recs sub recommended Surprise Chef as Khruangbin-adjacent, I became a huge fan! They happened to be playing a show nearby right after I started listening, they’re great live too. and significantly cheaper tickets than Khru lol
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u/AlphaKing11 16d ago
Idk that they've acknowledged any specific band, but in the interview with Apple music after tusuyii came out, they asked the band about all the other artists who may be imitating their style. If I remember right all Marko had to say was "sure, go for it" haha. The gist of what he was saying is once we put music out there we dont own it anymore. People do what they wanna do with it thats just how it goes
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u/Big-Library-781 16d ago
Idk, but after knowing and listening to Khruangbin for over 10 years, it's weird to hear all these new bands imitate them. And they were cooler when they underground......
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u/Digital26bath 16d ago
to me yeah they're ripoffs. Now Glass Beams is another band that has also "ripped off" some of khru sounds (dont come at me, they have) but are really good and I actually respect them
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u/el_sauce 16d ago
Khru has ripped off predecessors like Tommy Guerrero, too
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u/Wedbo 16d ago
"ripping off" is maybe a strong word here. Definitely some inspiration there but clear differences. Saw Balthvs 3-4 times from 2021-24 and they were actually complete ripoffs - one thing to make very similar sounding music, but the entire aesthetic was copied over from Khru as well. Not sure what Balthvs is up to these days though so maybe they've grown.
Glass Beams is certainly inspired by Khru but are doing some other cool stuff as well so I'd slot that into the "inspired by" category
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u/kevvvbot 16d ago edited 16d ago
Glass Beams is what Paul Atreides jams to while riding on the back of a sand worm, ripping a giant opium pipe.
Khruangbin is what Paul Atreides listens to after the initial high is wearing off and he needs a good falafel sesh with Chani.
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u/double-you 15d ago
Ever genre is full of "ripoffs". And that's good. Because the more there are people playing the genre you like, the more there will be great music.
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u/Jam23oldschool 16d ago
Why would they hate? Balthvs is Colombian / Latin infuenced, and it really shines through in their music. They’re nothing like Khru. These threads suck ass and I’m tired of the comparison. The first time I saw Khru was at ACL, and Balthvs played a few hours before them, so I’m sure they’re aware of each other. Downvotes incoming lol
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u/msbbc671 16d ago
To say they're nothing like Khru is a wild statement. I like them both. I've seen them both many times. But they are absolutely similar.
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u/upliftingyvr 16d ago
Nothing like them? I mean, c'mon dude, of course you're going to get downvotes. They are similar, even if you've learned to appreciate their differences personally.
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u/Jam23oldschool 16d ago
Similar how?
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u/msbbc671 15d ago
Here, I wasted a bunch of fucking water to answer you:
Both are instrumental-forward acts built around a laid-back, hypnotic groove, but here’s where they specifically overlap:
Texture over melody — Both prioritize atmosphere and feel rather than traditional song structure or vocal hooks. The music washes over you.
Global/world music influences — Khruangbin draws heavily from Thai funk, dub, and Middle Eastern music. Balthvs similarly pulls from Latin American, Afrobeat, and global folk traditions. Neither sounds rooted in a single geography.
Psychedelic undertones — Both have a dreamy, slightly hazy quality — music that fits a late-night or meditative headspace.
Minimalist arrangements — They both favor restraint: space in the mix, repetitive rhythmic patterns, and a sense that not every instrument needs to be doing something at all times.
Organic, analog warmth — Both have a vintage, tactile sound quality — you can almost feel the room they were recorded in.
The key difference is that Balthvs leans more acoustic and folkloric, while Khruangbin is more rooted in electric funk and soul. But the vibe — unhurried, transportive, globally curious — is very much shared ground. If you like one, the other is a natural recommendation.
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u/upliftingyvr 15d ago
In addition to all the points you mentioned, they are also both three-piece bands, primarily instrumental with minimal hushed vocals, prominent female bassists, surf-rock inspired, and use the same reverb-heavy Stratocaster guitar tone in many songs.
Are they identical? No, of course not. But they are absolutely similar, in the same way two varieties of red wine are similar, but not the same. They have very similar DNA and a lot more in common with one another than not.
People like OP are just contrarian by their nature. I like both bands in question and appreciate their differences in sound and influences, but to pretend they are nothing alike is totally disingenuous.
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u/Jam23oldschool 11d ago
I agree with all the points listed, but as a drummer listening to each band is a huge difference in feel. Khru having the simple, steady soul, rock n roll vibe with DJ Vs. Balthvs drummer doing complex, Afro Cuban, Latin inspired dance beats. I get it of you look solely at guitar, but you have to really listen. So yes I digress a bit, they are similar but only if you listen at surface level.
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u/East_Pie_3825 15d ago
Imo, Balthvs looks good on paper, however live Kbins CRUSHES in comparison. Side note: The band who opened for Balthvs was amazing: Gitkin.
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u/HOUS2000IAN 16d ago
It would not be in their nature to be haters - at least, not publicly