Stand Atlantic: “Even though we are geographically challenged, we can still do what any other band does”

Stand Atlantic: “Even though we are geographically challenged, we can still do what any other band does”

By Yasmin Brown

Mar 27, 2019 11:21

Australia’s Stand Atlantic may only have released their debut album five months ago while on a UK tour with State Champs, but they already have plans to return for a headline tour - as well as appearing on the Reading and Leeds Festival line-up.

This success comes following an incredible response to ‘Skinny Dipping’, which has brought them closer to their fans and inspired them to work even harder to keep improving with every future release. “It’s real rewarding putting so much work into something and having people tell you its helped them through a tough time or that they’ve just discovered our band because of it and it came out like… 5? Months ago?”

This kind of response suggests that fans have had this album on repeat from day one, using it as a crutch to guide them through life struggles, and also acting as a partial explanation for the success of the album. Fans of pop-punk in particular often take to this genre because of the relatable lyrics, and with the thematic content of ‘Skinny Dipping’ offering exactly that, it’s no surprise that fans have clung to these songs and applied them to their own lives.

Latest single ‘Toothpick’ is a perfect example of this, its blatant vulnerability being something that many of us are often afraid to succumb to. For fans listening to this track, or watching the accompanying music video, it’s offering subtle permission to give into your feelings and to accept the ways in which you’re perhaps not as put together as you wish you could be.

For Stand Atlantic’s Bonnie Fraser, she wanted to “convey something super simple and intimate” and so the idea behind the ‘Toothpick’ music video is “kind of a reflection on what its like to come home after being away between tours etc and how time still passes without you being there”.

It’s a feeling many internationally touring bands are familiar with, with many often referring to a city or country thousands of miles away from their origins as their ‘second home’. This is no different for Stand Atlantic, who refer to the UK as just that, so being able to come back “feels so goooood” and the “fact that [they’re] headlining is just a bonus. [They] couldn’t be happier”. And, for some reason, the UK seems to love them the most out of everyone.

This is good news for us, and for Stand Atlantic, as it means the Aussie trio have made their way onto some massive festival lineups this year – most notably, Reading and Leeds, although the band themselves aren’t sure what to expect having never attended the festival before. That said, Bonnie is “sure once [they] get there [they’ll] poop [their] pants”. Even without ever having attended, Bonnie and her bandmates are well aware of the festival’s notoriety, and consider it “a huge honour being able to be a part of such an iconic festival”.

To be able to travel the world at all is a huge deal for them, highlighting that you really “can do anything no matter where you are” and that to get there, you just have to “believe in yourself and what you’re doing”.

Stand Atlantic have also had a lot of Australian inspiration pushing them forwards and inspiring them. Over the years, they’ve befriended a fair few big names, such as With Confidence, Trophy Eyes, Hands Like Houses and Tonight Alive – all of whom “proved that even though [they] are geographically challenged, [they] can still do what any other band does”.

It’s clear that, just like their peers, Stand Atlantic have all of the potential to become household names among pop punk fans worldwide. Being able to take on a headline tour on what is literally the other side of the world to where they are from, just five months after the release of their debut album, is something to be celebrated, and it’d be both a surprise and a disappointment if this trio stopped there when they clearly have so much more to give.

As for what inspires them to keep moving, Bonnie attributes a number of things – namely maintaining a good sense of humour and not taking things too seriously, having a great support network at home in Australia, and some damn good food (“Finding good food I literally the best thing ever”). The three band members are friends, and so naturally “roast each other 24/7”, but beyond the friendship, and when it comes to the music, they find that “you just cant sweat the small stuff or you’ll constantly be upset about something and it’s important to keep things fun when you’re away from home for so long and with the same people the whole time”.

And despite the distance, Stand Atlantic keep their loved ones close by, citing them as their biggest inspiration when it comes to continue on this journey, ensuring each side knows just how important the other is to them and neither could ever be forgotten, regardless of miles. It’s this concept that’s conveyed spectacularly in the ‘Toothpick’ music video, and so it makes sense that this would instantly spring to mind when the topic of inspiration is brought up.

Like most bands who are just finding their feet, Stand Atlantic remain humble, never forgetting what’s most important in this world. Their music is great, of course – but more than that, they’re worth supporting because they’re simply very, very cool people.

And you can do just that by snapping up the last few tickets on their UK tour (details below), or checking them out at Reading or Leeds Festival this coming summer.

YASMIN BROWN


MARCH
29 LEEDS, Key Club **SOLD OUT**
30 MANCHESTER, Night People **SOLD OUT**
31 NEWCASTLE, Think Tank

APRIL
1 GLASGOW, King Tuts
2 NOTTINGHAM, Bodega
3 BIRMINGHAM, Asylum 2 **SOLD OUT**
4 LONDON, Underworld **SOLD OUT**
6 SOUTHAMPTON, Joiners **SOLD OUT**
7 BRISTOL, Exchange