She was a queen. 🎶 Laura Lee is the bass guitarist of Khruangbin, a band from Houston known for incorporating global influences into their music. Texas Moon—the trio’s EP with Leon Bridges—came out today (!), and our writer Ale should’ve probably asked off work ‘cause she’ll be singing / dancing / jamming to it nonstop.

Here, Laura Lee tells us why a barn > a recording studio, what Khruangbin’s true genre is, and how her alter ego Leezy makes her life easy.

Is it true you guys record your songs in a barn?
Oh, 100%. Can’t be anywhere else! It’s in Texas’s Hill Country. We used it when we were starting out because it was cheap and accessible, but now it’s such a part of our identity that it’s where we feel most at home. Writing with cows watching you and seeing the rolling hills… It’s a summer camp kind of vibe.

Why did you want to collaborate with Leon Bridges?
Khruangbin is primarily instrumental—none of us particularly want to sing—and Leon could read a grocery list and make it sound like the most beautiful thing you’ve ever heard. Also, when we were on tour together, he’d sometimes stay on the side stage and sing along to our songs. I eventually sent him one that needed vocals and he added them that same night. That’s how this whole project started.

We heard your music on the soundtrack of Outer Banks! How does it feel to know it’s being listened to all around the world?
It’s magic. We’ve always had a drive to become a universal, inclusive band. In a way, instrumental music is the most global because it doesn’t alienate anyone that can’t speak your language. So when I get messages from people saying they heard my music in places like Sri Lanka or Bali, I can’t believe we’re in all far-flung corners of the earth.

Song titles usually come from lyrics, but most of your music doesn’t have any. How do you choose your titles?
There’s no one way. Sometimes it’s something that inspired us in the moment, so A Calf Born in Winter came from a cow literally being born at the barn. With People Everywhere, we called it that because the rhythm is commonly found in music from all over the world, so it’s something “people everywhere” can understand.

If Khruangbin had its own made-up genre, what would it be?
Melancholy funk or nostalgic funk. We try to make our music feel familiar and timeless, like the feeling of nostalgia. And although we write with a lot of emotion, we also want to make it a party, so our genre is somewhere between longing and fun.

We heard you have an alter ego for performing called Leezy. How has creating her helped you, and would you recommend it to other artists?
It’s probably the smartest decision I’ve ever made, but everybody’s different. Some people enjoy being approached in public, and I respect anyone that’s brave enough to deal with that. I personally don’t want that in my life just because I’d have major social anxiety kick in, and I really like having anonymity off stage. I like that I can play at a festival and, immediately after, take everything off, go into the crowd, and watch another performance.

What advice would you give to musicians who want to stay authentic to their style but still break into the industry?
Regularly check in with yourself and your gut, and make sure you choose your team wisely, because if you do, they won’t push you to do things you don’t want to do.