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 L.A.
“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 front-woman, 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.”
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.
