Stand Atlantic – F.E.A.R

19/08/2022

Australian band Stand Atlantic released their third album F.E.A.R. on 6th May 2022. Vocalist Bonnie Fraser describes the album as “anti concept” and the title of the album is an abbreviation of Fuck Everything And Run.
It are Fraser's vocals and lyrics that loom large throughout this album. She has stated that the album provided a means of expressing all of her frustrations without limitation. The album is a reflection of her feelings over the past two years. These feelings inevitably seem to have been mostly negative, which is hardly surprising given what has been happening in the world over the past couple of years. The pandemic certainly seems to have fueled people’s creativity.

This is certainly not your standard pop punk fare here as F.E.A.R opens strongly with “Doomsday”

“Satan cut the brakes

Satan cut the brakes

I’m droppin’ into hell on a Tuesday”

sings Bonnie in this rather catchy song which sets the tone for the whole album.

Stand Atlantic may be classified as “pop punk” but this album is a real mish mash of styles as no two songs sound similar, which makes for a fascinating listen. The songwriting is consistently strong throughout and there are no weak songs on this album.

The standout track for me is ‘Molotov (Ok)’, straight up, fantastic, distorted punk thrash with the fabulous chorus;

“Okay, okay, okay, okay

Throw me like a molotov

Guess I’ll fucking die alone”.

Other honourable mentions include a more “traditional” pop punk romp ‘Van Gogh, Cabin Fever’ a song about being angry about the music industry and the expectations put on the band by their own label to come up with great stuff while everyone in the world is suffering. The song even features a (small) cameo from Bonnie’s mum! The band also feature guests on a number of other tracks: ‘Deathwish’ features an appearance by rapper nothing, nowhere and is a very impressive track.

The album has a real experimental feel to it, but the passion of the band shines through on each and every track. The lyrics are not subtle and you can really hear and feel the emotion, frustration and rage that has influenced them.

It’s not always an easy listen, but it is ultimately a very satisfying one!