{"id":68256,"date":"2026-09-10T11:42:26","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T16:42:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/?p=68256"},"modified":"2026-09-10T11:42:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T16:42:29","slug":"montreals-elephant-stone-dives-headfirst-into-psychedelic-underground-bringing-one-date-to-sleeping-village","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/?p=68256","title":{"rendered":"Montreal’s Elephant Stone Dives Headfirst Into Psychedelic Underground Bringing One Date To Sleeping Village"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By James Currie<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elephant Stone turns psychedelic pop into a full-blown sonic trip full of ancient sounds that meet modern psych.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Montreal\u2019s Elephant Stone<\/strong> unveiled their new single \u201cI Got A Pill<\/strong><\/a>,\u201d the latest preview of their upcoming album ASHA<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, arriving August 28<\/strong>. First premiered via FLOOD Magazine<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, “I Got A Pill” continues where previous single “Fascists Killed Yer Rock ‘N’ Roll<\/a>” left off. Same rot, different angle.

Frontman Rishi Dhir <\/strong>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.\u201d<\/em>

Directed by Adam Traynor <\/strong>and featuring handcrafted puppets by Diablo Puppets<\/strong>, the accompanying video embodies the song\u2019s 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.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI Got A Pill\u201d: <\/strong>Listen<\/strong><\/a> \/ <\/strong>Watch<\/strong><\/a>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I Got A Pill” comes off ASHA<\/em>, Elephant Stone’s 10th studio release via Elephants On Parade<\/strong>. Named after the late mother of frontman Rishi Dhir \u2013 Asha means “Hope” in Sanskrit \u2013 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<\/strong>.
 
At the heart of Montreal\u2019s 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 \u2013 producing, engineering, and mixing the band\u2019s increasingly complex and cinematic output.
 
While the band\u2019s reputation was built on airtight pop craftsmanship and spiritual exploration, their recent work \u2013 anchored by longtime members Miles Dupire<\/strong>, Robbie MacArthur<\/strong>, and Jason Kent<\/strong> \u2013 possesses a new, raw intensity. It is a sound forged through Dhir\u2019s deep collaborative history with icons like The Black Angels<\/strong>, The Brian Jonestown Massacre<\/strong>, and Beck<\/strong>, as well as his role in the psych-supergroup MIEN<\/strong>.
 
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<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ASHA<\/u><\/em>\u00a0Tracklist:<\/u><\/strong>
1. Here Comes The Rising Sun
2.\u00a0Everything Evil<\/a>
3.\u00a0Fascists Killed Yer Rock ‘N’ Roll<\/a>
4.\u00a0I Got A Pill<\/a>
5. Broken Arrow
6. A Beautiful Fate
7. Parallel And Contrary Motion
8. Sleepwalking In Prague
9. Spirit, Take Me Away (feat. Amy Millan)
\u00a0
Tour Dates:<\/u><\/strong>
Sept 15\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Burlington, VT @ Foam Brewers
Sept 16\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Rochester, NY @ Bug Jar
Sept 17\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Troy, NY @ No Fun
Sept 18\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
Sept 19\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong
Sept 20\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>State College, PA @ Manny’s
Sept 22<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village<\/mark><\/strong>
Sept 23<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Detroit, MI @ Outer Limits
Sept 24\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Toronto, ON @ Second Summer Festival
Oct 1\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Montreal, QC @ Bar le Ritz\u00a0
Nov 2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Nov 4\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Paris, FR @ Le Chinois
Nov 16\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>London, UK @ MOTH Club<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Follow Elephant Stone:<\/strong>
Website<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0YouTube<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook<\/strong><\/a>
Spotify<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0TikTok<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Substack<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":68257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,39,20],"tags":[2516,199,2513,2514,1709,2515,995],"class_list":["post-68256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-music-news","category-reviews","tag-asha","tag-chicago-music-news-live-venue-interviews-reviews","tag-elephant-stone","tag-montreal","tag-psychedelic-rock","tag-rishi-dhir","tag-sleeping-village"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=68256"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68259,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68256\/revisions\/68259"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/68257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=68256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=68256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/beintheloopchicago.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=68256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}