London Stone
Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 2015
Music
Press
Blustering amounts of energy is dripping out of London Stone’s latest 3-song EP Just How High. The Toronto four-piece band comprises of Jordan McCracken, Matthew Betti, Alan Duffy, and Matt Benedetti. The band’s past and present includes the helping hands of producer/head chef, Alex Gamble (Arkells, Broken Social Scene) and mastering engineer, Brock McFarlane (Carly Rae Jepsen, Marianas Trench, k-os)
The psychedelic rock group launched their epic first album Neon Blind back in 2017, which took listeners on a roller coaster of emotions from start to finish with “Inside Out (Hear Them Say)” ‘s psychedelically ferocious guitar riffs to “The Fold” ’s heartfelt lyrics. Now with the release of Just How High, London Stone brings forth roaring rhythms, guitar riffs galore, and speed comparable to Wu-Tang clan, Queens of The Stone Age, and Royal Blood.
Just How High hits listeners from the very first second of “I Just Might” with a catchy guitar riff and pounding drums, and shines a light on Jordan McCracken’s vocal range, reminiscent of Royal Blood’s 2017 track “Lights Out” on How Did We Get So Dark. Following swings in the album’s title track, “Just How High” throws psychedelic rock explosions from left, right, and center. The first five minutes of this EP will definitely take you on a shocking ride, followed by the steady closing of “You’re So Sick”. The track fuses an impressive mix of fills, riffs, and hooks that will have you wanting to move from side to side.
The entirety of London Stone’s Just How High is a perfect balance of heavy, crushing all three tracks with guitar and drum jams that will surely impress new, old, and current listeners. - Spill Magazine
The London Stone cries these five words, as the drums bash away, the crunchy guitar riff repeats, and the echoey vocalist announces “and on, and on, and on.” Dance you will, according to the band, as they insist they are the modern stoner band to dance to.
The three songs released on the Toronto band’s second EP, Just How High, comprise what will indeed be a good few minutes of headbanging, distorted rock. In a time where music is in so many genres, London Stone decided to get back to what makes rock sound like rock. The grunge-tinged, breathy vocals could be mistaken for a live performance, with their free-form melodies, their casual words, and hand-clapping beats.
Led by “I Just Might”, the song which yearns for the aforementioned dancing shoes, any listener would be proclaimed a liar had they insisted they couldn’t keep their head from banging. It’s standard grunge, but it’s some top notch sound. The bouncy title track features a lot of cymbals, with a nu-metal edge that would be at home on the soundtrack of an NHL video game. The last of the three continues the great guitar sound, definitely a crowd pleaser. With different mind-bending melodies, the guitar achieves a certain sound, almost an achievement.
With The London Stone’s second effort, you get what you come for. The band belives listeners “can expect to feel like they got swept up in an alley brawl between the Queens of the Stone Age and the Wu-Tang Clan, right before they realized they could all be friends and listen to Beyonce.” I think that’s an apt description. You’ve earned it, boys. - Spill Magazine
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
London Stone is an Experimental Psych Rock band from Toronto, Canada whose genre-bending recordings and blistering live performances are making them a band to watch in Canada's heavy music climate.
Since forming in 2015, the band has worked on tightening their sound by experimenting with different genres and arrangements on stage and in the studio, culminating in their first EP, Neon Blind (2017). Joining forces with local producer Alex Gamble (PUP, Arkells, Fucked Up), the EP explored a risk-taking spectrum of sounds for heavy music. Over the span of five songs, the band seamlessly blends elements of grunge, hip-hop, psychedelic, ambient, post-rock, and metal. Lead by the relentless hammering of the lead track Inside Out (Hear Them Say), and climaxing with their eight-minute noise opus Found, the EP's unrelenting aggression combined with its breadth and maturity has quickly garnered media attention. Since Neon Blind's release, the band has received features by Disarm Magazine, 94.9 The Rock’s Next Generation, and was voted Band Of The Month for August 2018 by Toronto’s Deli Magazine.
Becoming regulars on some of Toronto’s most storied stages, London Stone are constantly refining their high-energy live performances with an unerring dedication to stealing the show. They have left long-lasting impressions on audiences at iconic venues like The Opera House, Rivoli, Bovine Sex Club, and the Horseshoe Tavern, and are setting their sights on taking their brand of dirty, melody-driven psych-rock nationwide.
In 2019, London Stone released the three-song EP Just How High. Expanding on the work of their first EP, the release gives a focus to the collective songwriting prowess of the band's four members. The three songs on the EP range from the straight-ahead 70's punk of the title track, to the dark and haunting dance track I Just Might.
Band Members
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