In The Loop Magazine Montreal's Elephant Stone Dives Headfirst Into Psychedelic Underground Bringing One Date To Sleeping Village

Montreal’s Elephant Stone Dives Headfirst Into Psychedelic Underground Bringing One Date To Sleeping Village

Sep 10, 2026 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0

By James Currie

Elephant Stone turns psychedelic pop into a full-blown sonic trip full of ancient sounds that meet modern psych.

Montreal’s Elephant Stone has carved out a sound all their own, blending swirling psychedelic rock and dream-pop with the hypnotic drones, sitar driven textures and rhythmic pulse of traditional Indian music. The result is both cosmic and earthy music that feels rooted in another era while pushing forward into something distinctly modern. Their songs don’t simply borrow from Indian psychedelia; they weave those influences into lush melodies, fuzzed-out guitars and kaleidoscopic arrangements that make Elephant Stone instantly recognizable. Think a blend of Brian Jonestown Massacre meets Kula Shaker with a hint of Hawkwind.

They are coming to Chicago on September 22nd at Sleeping Village as part of a mini 8 U.S. date tour. If you dig these sounds, you’ll want to make it to this one night only show.

Today, Montreal’s Elephant Stone unveiled their new single “I Got A Pill,” the latest preview of their upcoming album ASHA, arriving August 28. First premiered via FLOOD Magazine, “I Got A Pill” continues where previous single “Fascists Killed Yer Rock ‘N’ Roll” left off. Same rot, different angle.

Frontman Rishi Dhir explains, “It’s about demagogues, the populist playbook. Leaders who feed on people’s fear and offer an easy fix. The pill. Take it and your problems go away. Except it doesn’t work like that. It’s control dressed up as relief.”

Directed by Adam Traynor and featuring handcrafted puppets by Diablo Puppets, the accompanying video embodies the song’s false promise of escape, inviting viewers into a surreal puppet world. Handmade and a little unhinged, characters Futzy, Radis, and Mascot lure the audience even deeper into the hypnotic, technicolor dreamscape, blurring the lines between comfort and control.

Adam Traynor says, “The lyrics to ‘I Got A Pill’ woo and warn all at once. I wanted to put the sweetness of that voice into the mouth of a Tony the Tiger-type mascot with a special breakfast gift for kids that would be sure to kick off a trip into a sugary Wonderland, a cardboard Oz, an awe-inducing game-world of artificial colours, a Dark Crystal quest for power, a Soylent Green feeding frenzy.”

“I Got A Pill”: Listen / Watch

“I Got A Pill” comes off ASHA, Elephant Stone’s 10th studio release via Elephants On Parade. Named after the late mother of frontman Rishi Dhir – Asha means “Hope” in Sanskrit – the album is a meditation on grief, hope, and the friction between sorrow and the darkness of these times. Limited edition signed and hand-numbered vinyl is available for pre-order now via Little Cloud Records.

At the heart of Montreal’s Elephant Stone is Rishi Dhir, a songwriter and sitarist who has spent twenty years blurring the lines between Western psych-pop and Indian classical tradition. What began in 2006 as a quest for transcendental sound has evolved into a singular, self-contained vision. Operating out of his Montreal home studio, Sacred Sounds, Dhir has emerged as a true studio auteur – producing, engineering, and mixing the band’s increasingly complex and cinematic output.

While the band’s reputation was built on airtight pop craftsmanship and spiritual exploration, their recent work – anchored by longtime members Miles Dupire, Robbie MacArthur, and Jason Kent – possesses a new, raw intensity. It is a sound forged through Dhir’s deep collaborative history with icons like The Black Angels, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Beck, as well as his role in the psych-supergroup MIEN.

With a discography spanning 10 acclaimed releases, Elephant Stone remains at the forefront of the modern movement, constantly deconstructing the past to find something visceral, haunting, and undeniably human in the present.

In support of their new album, Elephant Stone have also announced new tour dates across Europe this fall, going on sale this Friday, July 17. The band will also be embarking on a North American tour kicking off in September. Dates and tickets for all shows are available here.

ASHA Tracklist:
1. Here Comes The Rising Sun
2. Everything Evil
3. Fascists Killed Yer Rock ‘N’ Roll
4. I Got A Pill
5. Broken Arrow
6. A Beautiful Fate
7. Parallel And Contrary Motion
8. Sleepwalking In Prague
9. Spirit, Take Me Away (feat. Amy Millan)

Tour Dates:
Sept 15          Burlington, VT @ Foam Brewers
Sept 16          Rochester, NY @ Bug Jar
Sept 17          Troy, NY @ No Fun
Sept 18          New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
Sept 19          Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong
Sept 20          State College, PA @ Manny’s
Sept 22          Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village
Sept 23          Detroit, MI @ Outer Limits
Sept 24          Toronto, ON @ Second Summer Festival
Oct 1    Montreal, QC @ Bar le Ritz
Nov 2             Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Nov 4             Paris, FR @ Le Chinois
Nov 16 London, UK @ MOTH Club