Stand Atlantic give me reason to f.e.a.r. for the future on new record

 

New South Wales pop punk band Stand Atlantic have released their third record, fuck everything and run, or simply f.e.a.r. This is quite an important moment in AsterTracks history as last week I celebrated my 100th posting on this blog and now we get to do a follow up to what was my album of the year on the first year I was writing about music; Pink Elephant. A record that I enjoyed for its diversity and that the album rollout really owned my attention for the majority of that year. Although I do look at 2020 a bit differently now and find that I’m more attuned to a different record from it in the current year there’s no doubting how I felt in the heat of the moment. So, for post 101 to be the record after that just felt appropriate, especially given the commercial status of StAt now and I don’t feel the need to direct you to them, more just give you my interpretation.

There were a lot of singles leading up to this record including “deathwish’, which feels a bit old at this point. It was my number eleven single of last year and I enjoyed it for its inclusion of nothing,nowhere. in a way that made it feel like both his and StAt’s song and not him tacked on. That interpretation hasn’t changed with its placement in the record and it's more or less just here on expectation at this point.

I didn’t really love “molotov” on release but I did respect it. This is a real deal fast paced punk rock track, something this band has never really tackled before. I also really stand behind the meaning of this one talking about how the culture of cisgender, hetereo normative culture has made queerness all in all taboo. This idea of love being a dirty word and no matter how much you play nice with your oppressors you can’t bargain with those who wish to take your rights away. The song has grown on me but I still find myself wishing we didn’t release the finale as a single.

“Pity party” is really a single with its digestible length and catchy hook. Ryan Santiago or as their better known as; Royal and the Serpent comes through with a verse on this one which from my experience checking out their release; IF I DIED WOULD ANYONE CARE is one they’re really at home with. It’s a fair feature, they give a good performance, but their harmonies with Fraiser are what ultimately sell their inclusion for me.

“Slow motion crash, foot on the gas, nobodies safe.”

Is a line these two deliver so well together. The guitars here really catch me as they’re oddly spaced out and sometimes don’t even play in time to anything else going on. I’m not really trying to call that out as a flaw, though, I rather enjoy the use of negative space in sound from a pop stand point.

On “hair out” StAt really feels like they're hitting the sound that they’re trying to go for in this new era; Remaining true to their pop punk origins while veering into a bit heavier territory and allowing you to peek past the curtain into their world. While a lot of the conversational and jokey recordings feel really unnecessary to me on the overall record, on this track the themes of self-doubt and reacting to the notion that the band has sold out really feel genuine. The moment leading to the final chorus were we “fuck the lyrics” are reminiscent of the band’s Taking Back Sunday cover as well, a callback I appreciate as someone who got into this project from a different cover of theirs and was drawn to that fun loving side of them. These are all real and funny moments that feel like they’re giving an introspection to what’s going on with StAt currently. This track also makes me realize that “Wavelength” from that last record was ahead of its time on the discography. This sort of heavier instrumental, chopped vocals and all these things that make this much more than a single, even more than a StAt song, it’s a song off of f.e.a.r.

I was pretty indifferent to “switchblade” on release as well but in context of the tracklisting it has become my favorite of the singles as well as an easy top track for the whole record. I feel like as far as an identity goes there’s only about an EPs worth on this project and in that world this is the only single. It’s more of a heavier track with a sweeping guitar solo as well as nu metal sonic elements while still retaining what StAt is and on top of all of that there’s an electronic element as well. Distorted hype horns that later become distorted keys; it’s a real production to behold. The vocal delivery is revved up and raring to go as well Fraser even screams on this one.

Delving into the deep cuts here, “Van Gogh” is sort of a throwback to the Sidewinder EP from early in the band's career. Fast paced pop punk anthems with heart is really all that release was and it’s nice to see the band return to this for a quick break with some new perspectives. That and this sort of fast, fun instrumentation is something that, yes, would have progressed to Pink Elephant but without so much of the fooling around and really exaggerated lyricism. To me, this song does use that new method of writing lyrics with an insight into the competitive nature of art and how hard it is to just keep doing it for fun, something I'm sure they’ve seen in these past couple of years.

“I say I like things I hate, just like LA everything is cut throat.”

It also makes sense to use the metaphor of Van Gogh here with that;

“Should I pull a Van Gogh? Cause I’d give anything to shut you up.”

Given Van Gogh’s ear, you don’t want to hear it anymore, just make things you enjoy making. Overall I enjoy how this newer sensibility is used to describe new issues the band is facing while conjuring the sound of a bygone era to illustrate the sense of longing in the story.

“Nails from the back” is one I’ve seen become a fast fan favorite. The hook is strong, there are a lot of cool parts here. (Damn, what?!) I see this one as a callback as well, only this time to Skinny Dipping, the debut record. Only this time we have mastered the formula more and progressed on our vocal deliveries quite a bit. For as much of a fan I was of that record it was very much a debut and it’s nice to see it return in a more completed form.

The song “don’t talk [to me]” may have the best hook on the entire record in;

“Blood in the bath, that’s where I’m at, oh no oh no oh no.”

That and even for its short run time this is a very creative instrumental. It does start traditionally StAt but in the midsection gets these underlying horn sections, which add a dance element to the song even if they are very buried in the mix. Then it changes up again to become a double time punk rager for the closing moments. While I don’t think this at all helps with the identity issue on the whole record it is for sure a really strong moment.

If “switchblade” is the single to this small identity this record can muster up, “cabin fever” is for sure the crown deepcut. There is an emo rap-esque production here with the ambiance, the programmed strings all backing a deep look into the world of StAt in very blunt detail. It reminds me of yet another Pink Elephant track in “Silk & Satin” only now there is more of an aggressive detailing than a sad one, which makes sense given this is trying to be a heavier record overall. Yes, “switchblade” has a scream but this has a whole thought out breakdown that gets really nu metal. (What? What?? What?!) This is the production that I very much wanted this band to grow into, a band that is outside of what a label wants and is just what the members want. There’s three genres buried in this one little track! All that comes with a caveat though. There is such a short form project buried in this bloated record and yes, while you can be the band you want to be I feel progression is important too. So much of this record just feels like coasting, so much of it feels like b-sides to past records. Maybe you could say I’m exaggerating but I could only generously give you eight of these thirteen songs to coherently go together and that’s with me giving out exceptions.

Imaginary EP

1. Doomsday

2. Van Gogh (though, maybe not, more thematically)

3. Hair Out

4. Deathwish

5. Switchblade (Single)

6. Xo

7. Cabin Fever

8. Molotov

I am not telling anyone to cave to expectations, I’m not telling anyone to write a hit when their label wants one, what I’m saying is these are big things to say when you’re innovating so little. Bon, babe? “That’s some real weird shit?” You wrote “real weird shit” for five tracks of a fourteen track record! By the way, I am backing you the fuck up on that, “cabin fever” might be my fav StAt song EVER! “Chemicals” was hard to beat but we did it! Switchblade is in the top five! All these other songs? Also great and yet there are still five to seven tracks of b-side energy. As innovative as this song is and how it is the best StAt song, it's a testament to the fact that this band has hit a level of fame where a part of them has stopped caring about pushing boundaries. I’m not accusing anyone of selling out, I do not believe in that, but I’ve been in the scene long enough to see stuff like this happen all the time. Everyone laughs about Fall Out Boy and Panic! At the Disco, but you’ve got to think about this? Right? It isn't that those later records of those bands are bad, it's that they fall to expectation and they’re no longer pushing an envelope and while no fan wants to hear that and wants to believe it isn't what they wanted, it is what you perpetuate by forcing bands like this to stick to the hits. It gets to the point like; “great, you’ve arrived, you’ve proved yourself, now actually do the weird shit! You can use My Chemical Romance and their recent return as an example of a good version of this.

For a record with thirteen songs on it, you’d expect something new and yet so much of this just sounds like Pink Elephant. I can recall the band stating right after that record came out that they immediately had started the process for f.e.a.r. and it really shows. Are these songs good? Yes. Was I in a rush for part two? No, it was only two years ago. The features on this record do a great job of making everyone at home. The little studio audio clips aren’t really something I need and come off a little gimmicky, especially on pity party. I feel like somewhere along the line this band became known for being funny and quirky, which don’t get me wrong they truly are, but it’s phoned in so much now at times. Like, the presale password for this tour being “spaghetti?” Still? Come on. What I’m trying to say is some of this joking around really doesn’t feel authentic anymore;

“Giles! Quit putting your hand in your pants!”

The only one that sounds realistic is “hair out,” where the band is showing their jokey side while also reflecting on the self-doubt they feel with all their success. It also makes me really not vibe with this album outro. If I’m making it sound like I don’t enjoy this record; I do. I do not love it as much as the two before it though and find it lacks a lot of identity. Cut the fat and make this an EP? That has an identity. This doesn’t sound like a double-time pop punk record with heart like Skinny Dipping, doesn’t sound like a band finding their footing and getting comfortable in their skin like Pink Elephant, it sounds like a band that needed a record out. This is not a detriment to the songs themselves, there aren’t really skip tracks on here. It’s a detriment to the experience.

Stand Atlantic official website

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