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Gelli Haha performed live in studio on KEXP recently. Watch it live up above.
“Khun Narin is almost too good to be true.” - NPR
“one of the most eccentric psychedelic records of the year” - WIRED
“indescribably beautiful psychedelia.” - Newsweek
Khun Narin Electric Phin Band, the multi-generational psychedelic ensemble from rural Thailand whose ecstatic performances have quietly become a global cult phenomenon, release, III, their first album in over a decade via Innovative Leisure
With the release comes their focus track "Black Magic Woman (แบล็คเมจิกวูแมน)" that stands as a reimagined tribute to patron sonic saint Santana. The track embodies the cross cultural dialogue between Thai musical traditions and western influences picked up from GI's who first started trekking through this land in the 70s often leaving behind broken guitars, speakers, and other musical equipment which has since been repurposed by the band. The result is a revelation that collapses boundaries between ceremonial music and global pop language in real time.
Hailing from the valleys of Thailand’s Phetchabun Mountains, Khun Narin Electric Phin Band originated as a celebration ensemble for rural ceremonies, particularly pre-ordination fire rituals. What begins as a spiritual procession often transforms into something more transcendent, musicians of all ages locked into spiraling repetition, rhythms surging forward, the entire village pulled into a shared state of euphoria. At the center of it all is Khun Narin’s handmade sound system, a towering stack of horn speakers mounted on wheels and pushed through the village like a moving stage, its blast of sound pulling people from their homes, many joining the procession with instruments in hand as the parade grows in real time. At the core of the sound is the electrified phin, a three-stringed lute whose piercing, serpentine melodies cut through a dense wall of percussion and amplification.
The group first reached global audiences through a grainy YouTube upload that led to their 2014 international debut, introducing a sound that felt both ancient and radically new. Attempts to categorize it––surf rock, molam, garage psych, ritual trance––fell short. As NPR wrote, “Khun Narin is almost too good to be true.” WIRED called it “one of the most eccentric psychedelic records of the year,” while Newsweek praised its “indescribably beautiful psychedelia.” Champions, including Gilles Peterson, Bonobo, and Floating Points, have since amplified their reach, helping transform a hyper-local tradition into a global point of reference.
Now, ten years after their last release, originally recorded live in the fields of their village, the band returns with III, their first album recorded in a professional studio. Tracked in Los Angeles following their 2024 US tour and produced by Tommy Brenneck, whose credits include Amy Winehouse, Charles Bradley, Sharon Jones, Beyoncé, and Mark Ronson, the sessions capture Khun Narin Electric Phin Band with unprecedented depth and clarity while preserving the raw, communal intensity that defines their sound.
Across III, the band moves seamlessly between traditional forms and global influences, from the all-consuming medley of “Poet Wong” to the deep-rooted rhythms of “Sut Sanaen.” The phin still soars in sharp, spiraling lines, the percussion still drives with marathon force, but now every element resonates with newfound dimension.
III feels like a continuation of something timeless, a living tradition amplified for the world stage. It is music that exists beyond borders, beyond genre, and beyond expectation, communal, kinetic, and joyfully uncontainable.
Khun Narin Electric Phin Band, the multi-generational psychedelic ensemble from rural Thailand whose ecstatic performances have quietly become a global cult phenomenon, return with a new single ahead of their long-awaited third album. Marking their first new release in over a decade, III will be released on May 15 via Innovative Leisure. After previously sharing the album's opener, “Poet Wong Pt. 1" (เปิดวง ตอน 1), the group return today with “Sut Sanaen" (สุดสะแนน), a title loosely evoking communal joy while referencing lai sut sanaen, one of the foundational melodic patterns in the Molam musical tradition of the Isan people from Northeastern Thailand and Laos. For a group whose electrified phin music is deeply tied to those traditions, the title points both to communal celebration and to a core musical language embedded in the region’s sound.
Gelli Haha shares her new maximalist art-pop single “Klouds Will Carry Me To Sleep." It’s the first taste of music since the release of her 2025 breakout album Switcheroo which earned high acclaim from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, NPR, The Needle Drop, The FADER, Bandcamp, Paste, Brooklyn Vegan, FLOOD and countless others. Where Switcheroo studied curiosities, “Klouds Will Carry Me To Sleep” inhabits them - joyful, experimental, embodied, in orbit. Floating between the club, the cosmos, and the cumulus, Gelli moves without waiting for return or resolution. Instead, she drifts inside continuous change, tasting each moment before it evaporates. It’s a sweet, surreal pit stop in the sky and the first glimpse of what comes next.
“Klouds Will Carry Me To Sleep” comes with another out of this world, whimsical new video by director / visual artist David Gutel that will drop you right into Gelliverse.
The new single appears on Pitchfork's best new music and comes just off the heels of her 2026 Libera Awards’ Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Best Dance Record nominations and ahead of her Morning Becomes Eclectic performance today on KCRW / NPR who awarded Gelli their 2025 Breakthrough Artist of The Year. Watch it Here.
Shapeshifter / sonic acrobat Gelli Haha kicks off her first headlining North American tour: Where in the World is Gelli Haha tonight with a sold out show at The Roxy in LA. Both Chicago performances, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia are also sold out. Other highlights include NYC’s Bowery Ballroom, her return to Boise’s Treefort Music Fest this weekend plus performances at Kilby Block Party, Capitol Hill Block Party and Primavera festivals. Gelli’s wild and FUN prop-filled, choreographed live show is sure to be this year’s must see performance. “I’m so excited to go on my first headline tour with my incredible team of dancers and musicians. We’ve built a show that’s playful, silly, and alive! I can’t wait for more people to join the experiment,” she enthuses. Remaining tickets are on sale here - a full list of dates are available below.
Mar 25: Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy (SOLD OUT)
Mar 26: San Francisco, CA - Brick & Mortar (SOLD OUT)
Mar 28: Boise, ID - Treefort Festival
Mar 31: Vancouver, BC - Fortune Sound Club
Apr 01: Portland, OR - Holocene
Apr 02: Seattle, WA - Barboza (SOLD OUT)
Apr 23: Minneapolis, MN - Amsterdam Bar & Hall
Apr 25: Chicago, IL - Schubas - Early (SOLD OUT)
Apr 25: Chicago, IL - Schubas - Late (LOW TIX)
Apr 27: Toronto, ON - The Garrison
Apr 28: Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz
Apr 29: Boston, MA - Sonia
May 01: New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom (LOW TIX)
May 02: Philadelphia, PA - Philamoca (SOLD OUT)
May 04: Washington, DC - Songbyrd (LOW TIX)
May 05: Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle Back Room
May 07: Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade (Altar)
May 09: Houston, TX - Meow Wolf Houston
May 10: Austin, TX - Antone's
May 11: Dallas, TX - Club Dada
May 13: Denver, CO - Lost Lake (LOW TIX)
May 15: Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Block Party
May 18: Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar
May 19: San Diego, CA - Voodoo Room at Hob
May 20: Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room
Jun 06: Barcelona, ES - Primavera
Jun 11: Porto, PT - Primavera
Aug 07-09: Seattle, WA - Capital Hill Block Party
When KCRW named Gelli Haha our 2025 Breakthrough Artist of the Year, it wasn’t just about a debut—it was about a point of view coming into focus.
The artist recently brought her “Gelliverse” to KCRW’s Annenberg Performance Studio, delivering a set full of strange samples, elastic melodies, and sharp turns between chaos and clarity. It’s a performance that captures what makes her stand out: a willingness to take risks, and the ability to make them feel fully alive.