Stone Branches - With Or Without

​Stone Branches

With Or Without
self-released; 2024

By Jamie Funk
​

Emerging from Southampton’s music scene, Stone Branches have quietly refined a sound that feels both intimate and expansive, carving out a space that’s entirely their own. The band’s origins lie in the camaraderie of close friends—Matt Bialas (vocals), Nick Burton (guitar), and Ollie Hickson (guitar)—bonded by a shared reverence for acts like Palace, Coldplay, Foals, and Radiohead. With the later additions of Holly Barnett (drums) and Ashley French (bass), Stone Branches coalesced into a lineup that delivered their debut EP, Mantra, in December 2022, earning them airplay on BBC and positioning them as a promising act to watch.

Their latest single, “With or Without,” continues that upward trajectory. The track unfurls with a steady pulse of reverb-soaked guitars, dynamic drumwork, and a grounded bassline, all underscoring the lush interplay of vocal harmonies. Bialas’ lead vocals are the emotional anchor, showcasing impressive range and moments of striking intensity, particularly during elongated notes that feel like a blend of technique and catharsis.

The song’s standout moment comes in the breakdown—a dramatic shift that feels like a band-wide exhale before surging back with renewed vigor. As Bialas sings, “I’ll be saved / With or Without,” the track ascends into an ethereal arrangement of layered vocals, crafting a resolution that is both triumphant and bittersweet.

“With or Without” is not just a song about letting go of perfection in favor of reality; it’s also an assertion of the band’s own ethos: grounded yet unafraid to reach for something transcendent. If this track is any indication, Stone Branches are on the cusp of delivering something even more ambitious in the near future.

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