For all that music has become since its inception, escapism is undoubtedly one of its loftiest and longest persisting goals. Throughout all sorts of different genres, no matter the time period, music has been one of humanity’s favorite sources to escape this world and become lost in a euphoria that simply makes us forget about all our troubles even if it is only temporarily. In my opinion, there isn’t a style that encapsulates that more than psychedelic rock. In the right hands, nothing can compare to it, and we’re lucky to live in a time where the sound is simply flourishing. As one of the most active bands in the soundscape, Stone Rebel continues to define what this corner of music can be when in the best of hands.

The phrase “quality over quantity” is always something to take into consideration when we’re dealing with a band like Stone Rebel. Each year, we are inundated with multiple releases from Stone Rebel, and it demands to be said that their consistent quality is something that’s not to be taken lightly as their exploration and experimentation has driven them to the many different forefronts of what instrumental psychedelic rock can still become with their expressive and blues-riddled creation, “Is There Blues in Space?”, something that stands out even in a vast catalog that refuses to cease its expansion. Across thirteen tracks, Stone Rebel takes its time. Rather than seeking out as much as it can throughout the cosmos, this is a record that takes immense pleasure in the smaller moments, allowing sights to pass it by through an organic process of songwriting that’s as captivating as it is satisfying, and offer the listener a close-up view of what the little pieces of humanity across the stars have to offer. Soaring peaks that fall into the deepest valleys as the supernovas drift beyond our touch with the stars wheeling overhead, it’s the whole of this record that takes into account the impressive run that Stone Rebel has made for itself over the years with “Is There Blues in Space?” something that is a must-hear experience for fans new and old as well as listeners that often find themselves within and outside what this corner of psychedelic music has to offer. In no small form, this is a work that is delectable from top to bottom.

Allow these mellows jams to pass through you. To pass through your soul. Take the expert hand that Stone Rebel extends yet again to deliver us an experience the likes of which 2025 has been sorely lacking in my experience, and it only feels right that Stone Rebel would be the one to end the drought for me. For all that’s to be found within the vastness of these seventy-five minutes, the explorative and curious personality of “Is There Blues in Space?” embodies much of what this corner of the genre can always use more of, and I, for one, revel in it for all that it brings to the table.

LISTEN to “Is There Blues in Space?” on Bandcamp here.

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