Stand Atlantic: Turning Indignance Into Art

There is absolutely no doubt right now that the pop-punk scene is alive and well, with the underground movement keeping itself a fertile breeding ground for bands since its heyday in the early 2000s. Out of this breeding ground a whole decade ago, Australian quartet STAND ATLANTIC were born and, with a variety of line-up changes since their conception, have done nothing but impress even the most elitist of genre critics. With two albums and a third new release F.E.A.R under their belts, STAND ATLANTIC are taking the familiar sounds of a genre we know and love and giving it that modern edge it so desperately needs to stay relevant. They took time out of their relentless touring schedule to chat with us from the sunny streets of LA.

“I don’t really talk about my feelings, like, in general, so for me writing songs has always been the natural way to express myself and put to bed a feeling and get over something – I treat it as therapy in a way,” says frontwoman, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist Bonnie Fraser. Using song writing as therapy proved beneficial to many in the last few years, adding a whole new more personal level to lyricism that most listeners could relate to and identify with. The new STAND ATLANTIC release is no exception. With the album being conceived entirely during the pandemic, Fraser found herself reverting to the sometimes melancholic and indignant roots of the genre. “I was sick of trying to write about living my life when I hadn’t lived it and I feel robbed. I feel so robbed and I feel angry, and I feel frustrated. I didn’t have control over anything in my life whatsoever and it was just bullshit, so I had to write about it.”

Like many musicians during 2020, Fraser found herself writing about the pandemic and the feelings surrounding it, but this is purely because it made up the best part of two years for most of us – it is hard to not automatically draw inspiration from such a traumatic, life-changing experience as a worldwide lockdown. Musicians found their lives on hold, not knowing if they would have a job to go back to when the possibility of it all being over was just a distant dream. “A lot of people got their start through the pandemic which is sick for them but for bands that were already doing it beforehand it wasn’t a good time at all. It was pretty scary,” says Fraser. “One thing I hated was the fact that I had to write about the pandemic because it was my whole life at the time, but I didn’t want it to be a ‘pandemic album.’ I promised I wouldn’t say the words covid, pandemic, or virus and would allude to them instead of being completely obvious.”

The sheer chaos of F.E.A.R’s opening track doomsday is reminiscent of the chaos inside of most of our heads that had built up during the last two years. It is the perfect opening to such personal album, and it not only gives an insight into Fraser‘s head during the writing process but makes us feel seen and know that we were not and are not alone in these moments.

When asked about the album’s title (F.E.A.R), she initially laughs saying, “every record we’ve ever done, I’ve had the title before we’ve even written it. Which is really stupid or really smart, I don’t know. I had the phrase ‘fuck everything and run’ and how it spells fear stuck in my head and I kept trying to put it into songs, but it never worked so I just ditched it because, like, it obviously wasn’t meant to be. Then when the album finally started taking shape I was struggling to find a name for it because there’s no linear story or concept to this record besides the fact that it’s anti-concept, and I just thought ‘oh my god, that fits perfectly’, and ended up sticking to my theme of having the god damn title before the album is even written.”

F.E.A.R has a much darker and grittier sound than STAND ATLANTIC’s previous releases. The band has evidently evolved since their previously releases and, as cliché as it sounds, it seems like they have simply grown up. Instead of going for the standard pop-punk formula that they are often fenced into, they meshed a multitude of genres together to create a body of work that captures the mayhem of the last two years, which is only enhanced by the lack of linear narrative throughout.

“We were feeling all over the place and at the same time we’ve never wanted to be that band that’s boxed into a genre or a scene. We try our best to give people something that’s a little more diverse than your average alternative band,” says Fraser. “With Skinny Dipping (the band’s debut album) we dipped our toes in the water a little bit, then with Pink Elephant we pushed a little more. But this time if we were going to commit to the band we want to be and what we feel represents us best then we shouldn’t give a fuck about what people are going to think.”

It’s this kind of attitude that has made their latest release stand out from the rest. Instead of making music purely for anyone else, STAND ATLANTIC have chosen to write music entirely for themselves. “It’s just awesome to see the growth of a band through a time when we thought we were dying. All we had to go off was the fact that our ‘Spotify numbers were up.’ Yeah, cool, what does that even mean?! Where are the shows? Its not until its tangible that it kicks in and feels good because you can see it connecting with people. The growth over the last two years has been really gratifying.”

Growing up in the age of social media and keyboard warriors has made Fraser seem so laid-back and unbothered by criticism. “At the end of the day, we know how to write a song and not make it shit. Hopefully,” she laughs. “We can do anything that we stylistically want to, and the fans have been super supportive of it. Obviously, you get the plebs that are like ‘not my taste, they were better on the first album’, but like, shut the fuck up. Its been really positive but at the same time that’s why I appreciate the YouTube comments. As much as I fucking hate them at least they’re not kissing our arse for the sake of it.” She giggles. “They’re honest; I’ll respect it.”

STAND ATLANTIC are one of the few bands today that don’t feel obligated to conform. While many feel boxed into a genre, they are adamant to break free from it and instead use the surge of popularity in the genre and other bands with female members to propel themselves forward. “If I had that representation growing up it would have changed a lot,” says Fraser. “I still would have ended up in a band but all I had when I was growing up was Avril (Lavigne), then it was just dudes in bands,” she laments. “It’s just nice to see that you have a place in any field that you want to be a part of.” She begins to laugh under her breath until she bursts out with “Up the tits!” Quite possibly the perfect sentiment from one of the most exciting female voices in alternative music right now.

F.E.A.R. is out now via Hopeless Records.

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