This week, STONE have announced details of their debut album Fear Life For A Lifetime, sharing its nostalgic lead single My Thoughts Go. Following two EPs that seamlessly weave between ruthless punk tracks like Waste and soaring indie-rock number If You Wanna, STONE are uniquely hard to pin down. “I think we’ve always been boxless,” Fin declares. “But I do believe that with this album, we’ve been able to bring our sonic chaos, and put it not into a box, but some sort of river that does at least lead to the ocean. You can tell Spotify don’t know what fucking playlist to put us in!”
STONE’s sound is reflective of Fin’s influences, where playlists flow between synth-pop, classical and the odd bit of metal – namely his current gym band While She Sleeps. When STONE were asked to support YUNGBLUD off the back of stellar performances at Reading & Leeds 2021, Fin briefly encountered Sleeps guitarist Mat Welsh backstage on the resultant tour. Instantly hooked by their sound, it turns out the sentiment was shared by Mat, leading to an unexpected collaboration that arrived via last month’s SELF HELL.
“I never DM anyone on Instagram, but [Mat] is the first guy I messaged in a fanboy way,” admits Fin. “He replied about jumping on a track… I was buzzing. Within the week, I was on a train to their studio in Sheffield.” The resultant song, DOPESICK, is as terrific as its title suggests, showcasing the imperious, spirited side of Fin’s vocal style. And embracing even more collaborations is most certainly on STONE’s mind. “We've got a feature coming on the album,” he teases, “and we’re going to do an alternate version of one of the songs with an artist who I can’t disclose.”