Exclusive Video Premiere and Interview: ‘Knock You Off Yr Mountain,’ Elephant Stone

ABOVE: ELEPHANT STONE. PHOTO COURTESY OF BOWEN STEAD AND DANIEL BARKLEY

The imagery in the new lyric video for Elephant Stone’s “Knock You From Yr Mountain” is unsettling precisely because it’s so familiar. To accompany the song—a groovy exploration of contemporary mistrust of authority—the band chose a mélange of stock propaganda footage: prying eyes, misbehaving G-men, corralled crowds, signs urging silence. “I know you have tried to / Keep ’em all blind and fearing,” frontman Rishi Dhir intones; both his vocals and the swingy bass line against which they’re set are reminiscent of mid-aughts Spoon. Dhir, who sings and plays sitar and bass, and his bandmates, Miles Dupire and Gabriel Lambert, are at the forefront of the charmingly-portmanteau’d “Hindie-rock” movement, incorporating classical Hindustani elements and psych-rock leanings into tight, modern pop structures.

“I look at the present state of the world, and it breaks my heart,” Dhir explains. “I don’t understand how the leaders of the world see corruption, murder, war, and deceit as a way to lead their people. They do not represent us, they seek to control us. We need a change.” Sign us up.

ELEPHANT STONE’S THREE POISONS WILL BE RELEASED AUGUST 25 VIA HIDDEN PONY RECORDS. FOR MORE ON THE BAND, PLEASE VISIT ITS WEBSITE.