Greetings, friends! I come bearing good news for those who live in or within driving distance of central Texas, and for those who just enjoy good music no matter where in the world they are…

 

Stone Machine Electric – Faces (Argonauta Records, 26 September 2025)

 

 

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We’ve been talking about self-described “doom jazz” duo Stone Machine Electric on numerous occasions throughout the past ten years, and always glowingly. As it turns out, since the Hurst, Texas (DFW area) group’s last outing, they’ve augmented their guitar-vocals-drums-vocals twosome with a bassist. And in case you were worried about a lineup change disrupting the existing chemistry, their first record as a trio — last fall’s Faces — once again landed SME on this website’s list of the year’s top releases. So, yeah, there’s that.

The album opens with “Just Another Wizard,” a hypnotic dirge that features eerie chantlike vocals over a dark synth riff, alternating with the same riff done much more heavily on a severely overdriven guitar. Newly-added bass features prominently throughout: whether it’s intertwining with layers of downtuned guitar in “Walls of Hate” or holding down the rhythm with pedal tones in lockstep with the drums in “Manic” prior to that track’s lengthy excursion into a more proggy-jazzy territory.

Doomy riffs abound throughout Faces; highlights include the almost-middle-eastern-sounding figure that repeats in closer “The Alp,” and certainly the main riff single “Chroma” is built upon is one hell of a catchy earwig:

 

 
Oh and one last thing — the band will be playing at a FREE festival called Stoner Jam in Austin, this Saturday (the fourteenth), so be sure to check that out if you’re nearby! Scroll to the end for more details.

 

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Faces is out now in digital/CD/vinyl formats (US); it’s also available direct from the band (US), or European/rest of world customers might want to check out the label’s store (CD, vinyl).
 

 

Stone Machine Electric – website | Bandcamp | YouTube
Argonauta – website | webshop | Bandcamp | YouTube

 

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Stoner Jam 2026

 
14 March 2026 | 1:00 PM | FREE | ALL AGES
At Far Out Lounge, 8504 S Congress Ave, Austin TX 78745

Tickets/Info

Featuring Stone Machine Electric and…

Duel, Crypt Trip, Amplified Heat, Warlung, Bridge Farmers, Doom Boyz, Temptress, Dogwei, Throat Piss, Stone Nomads, Foster Mother, Sisteria, Slumbering Sun, Temple of Love, Wax Wizard, Transit Method, Thunderosa, El Gallo, Dust Diver, Hollow Skulls, Stitched Up, Red Beard Wall, Saigon Sinners