EP REVIEW: In A Moment’s Notice – Stand Still

Swimming in a melodic mix with pop-punk and emo elements added for flavour, Long Island outfit STAND STILL are tying the loose ends with their latest EP In A Moment’s Notice. Following on from the release of their debut EP A Practice In Patience just a year ago, the band are showing that punk never dies and emo never grows up.

Opening with the latest hit Loose Ends, it has the sound that lives through the years. Handed down from generation to generation, X to Y to Z, there is always a place for being loud and unapologetic. It’s the bang of the percussion and the catching mix of chanted and sung vocals that every kid grew up with; including the very members of STAND STILL. It’s feel-good and it’s therapeutic. This is a tune that will stick in heads for the remainder of the summer.

The EP splits between studio releases and live recordings, and the tone switches up. It begins with a completed, cleaned up, clicked-together selection of tracks. Past the third track, there is a more industrial and personal collective – a full live recital without the magic of the mixing desk. From that opening of There’s No Autumn Here, through the shredding strings of Id and ending with the satisfying closure of Lockbox, the eyes and mind are blown wide open. The authenticity and true talent has been exposed, and the escalation of STAND STILL is bursting through the eardrums.

The 2020s have so far been a decade of nostalgia. The world is reviving its zebra-striped spike-studded emo past and bringing it for the new and curious generation. The army of the alternative is growing in numbers. The recruits are turning to the subculture to begin their ventures. Since the release of A Practice In Patience last summer, the New York punks have signed up and are on their way to success. The word is spreading, the guitars are tuning and the amplifiers are turned up to eleven. It’s never been a phase. Just ask STAND STILL.

Rating: 8/10

In A Moment’s Notice is out now via DAZE/Triple B Records.

Like STAND STILL on Facebook.