10 Years Later, Khruangbin Rewrites Their Debut With “The Universe Smiles Upon You ii”
Khruangbin has just embarked upon a fall tour to celebrate their debut album, The Universe Smiles Upon You, but they also revealed another part of the 10-year anniversary. The trio of Laura Lee Ochoa, Mark Speer, and Donald “DJ” Johnson has reimagined the album with The Universe Smiles Upon You ii, which features new interpretations of the songs from the original.
“The thought was like, ‘We’ll just do it all over again. And it will be us 10 years later with the same instruments in the same location, and it’ll be different because we’re different,’” Ochoa told Rolling Stone. “But as the date neared, it was sort of, ‘Actually, the kids 10 years later would think about the songs as they are today, and not just play them as they were. That’s not who we are.’”
In addition to re-recording the music, they rearranged the track list, removing the opener “Mr. White” and replacing it with “Bin Bin.” Ochoa handles the album sequeincing for the band.
“The sequencing didn’t make sense in the original order,” she said. “I usually have to find the first song. What is the central thesis statement of the record? And it was definitely not the first song from the last record.”
Khruangbin posted a music video for “White Gloves ii,” which literally puts Ochoa in the spotlight.
The Universe Smiles Upon You ii is out now digitally via Apple Music, Amazon Music, and more. CD and vinyl editions will be shipping on December 5th.
Khruangbin is currently on tour. See below for their full itinerary.
The Universe Smiles Upon You ii Track List:
- Little Joe and Mary ii
- Balls and Pins ii
- White Gloves ii/li>
- The Man Who Took My Sunglasses ii
- People Everywhere ii
- Bin Bin ii
- August Twelve ii
- Dern Kala ii
- Two Fish and an Elephant ii
- Zionsville ii
Khruangbin Fall 2025 Tour Dates:
| Date | Venue | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11/09 | Philadelphia, PA | Union Transfer |
| 11/10 | New York, NY | Webster Hall |
| 11/11 | Washington, DC | 9:30 Club |
| 11/13 | Chicago, IL | Metro |
| 11/14 | Minneapolis, MN | First Avenue |
| 11/16 | Boulder, CO | Boulder Theater |
| 11/18 | Missoula, MT | The Wilma |
| 11/19 | Seattle, WA | Neptune Theatre |
| 11/20 | Portland, OR | McMenamis Crystal Ballroom |
| 11/22 | San Francisco, CA | The Regency Ballroom |
| 11/23 | San Francisco, CA | The Regency Ballroom |
| 11/24 | Los Angeles, CA | The Fonda Theatre |
| 11/25 | Los Angeles, CA | The Fonda Theatre |
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
