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Sometimes, it’s important to remember why you do what you do.
It’s easy to get roped into the semantics, the drama, the direction the current is dragging you. But when you strip away the bullshit and focus on the real reason that you set off on whatever journey you have reserved for this life, then things feel a lot better. You feel more connected to not just the results you are being rewarded with, but to yourself in general.
For Stand Atlantic, this has always been the order of the day, even when winds have tried to shift their sails. But a decade in, still making sure they have the best time possible above everything else has really helped them lock in when the going got tough.
“We’re just a band that writes songs, and we hope to God people like them, and then we go and tour them, and that’s the way it is,” vocalist/guitarist Bonnie Fraser shrugs with a smile. “And I’m not trying to come across like I have everything figured out right now, but it’s very much been about balancing the lines this time around.
“It really comes down to the idea of acceptance, and that’s a word that has kept on rearing its head throughout this process.”
The process she hints at is creating the fifth full-length ‘GODBREATH’. A record that feels as much like Stand Atlantic at their most quintessential as it does like a full-circle moment as they return home from a journey through the thorns; it is a collection of songs that feel as bright and buoyant as they do confident and cathartic. It’s a new benchmark for the band, one that clearly felt as good to create as it feels to experience now.
THE SOUND
If you plotted two lines, one tracking what seemed to be the flavour of the month in alternative circles and one tracking what Stand Atlantic were up to at that moment, they would always feel miles apart. From the very beginning of their journey, the band has always done what feels right for them rather than waiting to see which path to follow. It seems like an obvious way to function, but it’s surprising how often doing what you want ends up being truly radical.
But when it comes to the sonic elements that have come to define ‘GODBREATH’, they certainly suggest that, even when you are carving out your route, everything comes in cycles. These songs have an airiness to them that harks back to the last decade, especially the atmosphere that defined STAT’s 2018 debut ‘Skinnydipping’. For Bonnie, though, the only real connection between the two, between her writing back then and her writing now, is the attitude that surrounds it.
“I feel like we’ve always done what feels good for us and what we’re satisfied to do, but it is interesting to see how everything kind of works in cycles,” she comments. “And now we’re back again with this sound, but in a more refreshing way and a more experienced way. It feels really good to just revisit that, because I feel like I’m revisiting my old self as well.
“And I was actually listening to ‘Skinnydipping’ the other day, because I can’t remember the lyrics to save my life, and I was like, ‘I sound like a baby. Who is that? This baby just like be in a band. What the hell’.
“But I think that makes sense, because this album felt like we were kids again in a weird way. We felt like a band again. We went into the studio and tracked the songs live together as a unit, and it brings back this sense of youth. It kind of sweeps away a bit of the jadedness that comes from the music industry.”
That last comment is interesting, considering much of the album was tracked in Los Angeles, a place that remains a hub for the best and worst the music industry has to offer. So in doing things the old school way and actually performing together, an element that stands out prominently throughout ‘GODBREATH’ especially on the euphoric ‘LUCID’ and nostalgic ‘EDGE OF VEGAS’, it feels like a whole bunch of control has been placed back in the band’s hands.
The result is a record that feels like a sweet spot between the early 00s pop-rock boom and the earnest streak that the last decade of pop-punk has been defined by. Refreshing, vibrant and utterly addictive, it’s as readymade for Summer road trips as it is for teen movie soundtracks.
And for Bonnie, hitting that spot comes down to something that’s played a mammoth part in everything the band has done up until this point; don’t take it too seriously.
“I don’t even really think that it’s an attitude that we have kept. All you really have is each other in these moments, all of the ups and downs, and you learn very quickly that ain’t nothing that serious. And I’m so glad that we have kept that, and that we have kept making things fun, and finding ways to get through the shit times.
“I’ve said this a million times, but I feel like we are the dumbest versions of ourselves possible just to prove to everyone that if we can do it, they can do it too.”
THE LYRICS
As much as they do things their way and keep fun at the forefront of their output, another side of STAT digs a little deeper. Throughout the band’s output, there are plenty of moments when you can tell Bonnie has exorcised something that’s been sitting heavy on her chest. That juxtaposition of earnest, sometimes heartbreaking, feeling makes the sentiments within hit all the harder.
It’s the way a band should always be used, of course, but there are plenty of times when the weight of the words in a song has terrified Bon a bit, simply because it means she has to talk about them, and relive them.
“The songs I write represent 100% of each of my emotions. That’s just always been a place for where I go when I feel X Y Z since I was a kid. I never really spoke about my feelings; I didn’t say much at all, and the only place that felt safe for me, or like some kind of outlet, whether I knew it or not at the time, was writing it down creatively.
“But it’s why this band has always felt like a bit of whiplash, because how can you have this person that seems so happy-go-lucky and chilling, and then you listen to songs and say, ‘Oh, they’re hella wounded’.
“Which is why I feel like ‘GODBREATH’ is a nice breath of fresh air. It feels adult to me.”
From the get-go, with the release of lead single ‘Velcro’, Bon joked that she was in her “lover girl era”. And yes, throughout ‘GODBREATH’, there are plenty of gooey-eyed moments that make it clear how contented she is in her relationship outside the band, and she can’t help but write about it. Just one listen to ‘Favourite Flavour’ or ‘NEXT2U’ and you can see just how head over heels she is.
But that doesn’t mean ‘GODBREATH’ is a love album through and through. It’s more a document of what it means to feel like you can speak about something as simple as how you feel in a moment. Not everything has to be a purge or a defining moment when dealing with something old, new, repressed, or blue.
Sometimes, it is okay to just exist.
“I really was just riding the wave of how I felt that day or how the moment when I was making the voice memo felt. I just feel like the main takeaway from everything is that word: acceptance.
“I think that has been so apparent throughout the writing process, within my own personal life and growth, and the band’s career as well. Accepting who you are, knowing that’s okay, and then leaning into it. That makes everything a lot easier because you’re not trying to fight against what is natural or what is your destiny.”
That’s abundantly clear in closing track ‘Gimme A Show’, one of a handful of tunes that directly reference the band’s place in the music industry. Less cheeky than the stunning takedowns in ‘SO COOL’ and less biting than the callouts at the core of ‘teeth’, it focuses on the fact that they have to exist in an ecosystem that can make you feel so small and worthless that getting out may be the only option as a means of finding peace. But rather than giving into the pressure, it’s a song that serves as a reminder to Bonnie that getting to spend her time sharing her art in this manner is something that millions of others pine for, and to take it as it comes is so much more powerful than letting it get on top of you.
Though that’s also not a feeling that is exclusive to being in a band. It’s a way to exist in whatever you do. Just let go for a moment; it will make you feel much better.
“It’s just a reminder to be grateful. It touches on fears and anxieties and negative things, but there’s hope in the air somewhere. It comes down to acceptance again. That anxiety never truly goes away, and this is just the way it is, so accept it or fuck off, you know?
“I wanted this whole album to feel like 40 minutes of escapism, because we know the world is cooked, and we know why and who is making it so. We are all on the fucking sinking ship, and we’re just the violinists trying to get everyone to feel something other than sheer terror.
“We all know the baseline sadness will never leave us, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. And it’s okay to feel guilt-free for a moment. You are allowed to enjoy yourself and have fun. And if this album can allow someone to get out of their own head today, then that’s something.”
THE TITLE & THE ARTWORK
As the meaning behind the title of this collection of songs has set in throughout the process of making and reflecting on it, Bonnie still wishes they had used the name ‘DOG BREATH’ rather than ‘GODBREATH’.
But aside from that little preference, the sentiment behind that word has stayed pretty steadfast throughout, even though an early demo with the same name, which served as a guide to the sound and style they ended up with, never made the cut.
On one hand, the word references those who walk around feeling like everything that comes out of their mouth was conjured from the Heavens, rooted more in arrogance than confidence. On the other hand, it references the feeling of accomplishment and pride that comes with making your way through life in a way that showcases your best side. Such a contrast between ways of living your life feels vital for where the band are right now, especially when ultimately having a good time is still very much their goal.
That comes across in the artwork, too, which showcases the band in a variety of cartoonish caricatures created from scratch by artist Pat Fox. Compared to the direction 2024’s ‘WAS HERE’ took, showcasing their bloodstained bodies in the most uncompromising of ways, it says a lot about their mindset right now.
“That was crazy now that I think about it. I’ve never really considered the contrast,” Bonnie laughs, looking back on the thought process of putting her corpse on the front of a record. “But I feel like it’s because, since day one, there’s been no real filter with us. There’s no like mystery behind the curtain or whatever you want to call it. Like we’ve always just been so fucking whatever.
“So with this one, the fact that it’s so unserious and hand-drawn by a real artist really captures what we want from this record. As a rebellion against AI and everything that’s just overproduced and perfect, we wanted this to be imperfect and human. And I just feel like when you make things like that, people can feel it whether they notice it or not, and they feel more connected to it. We’re just accepting and embracing all of the parts of us, warts and all.”
THE FUTURE
More than anything, ‘GODBREATH’ feels like the last mixer of cement needed to fill in whatever cracks there were left in who and what Stand Atlantic are. A real fork in the road for what you should expect from the quartet from now on. And that’s not to say there was any doubt up until now, but for Bonnie, the way they delivered this record feels like there’s no chance now for anyone to get their wires crossed.
If there is anything they want people listening to take from this batch of tracks, readymade for every Summer from now until forever, it’s to dig your heels in on the things you love. People appreciate it when you are real with them, and it’s pretty good for your health, too.
“I think we learned the hard way pretty early on, whether anyone noticed or not, that if you’re not genuine and not being what comes naturally to you as a band, people are going to see you through that so quick,” Bonnie concludes. “It feels weird, and it’s always based on insecurity and comparison and anxieties. Just negative things. And once you kind of realise that and realise that, actually, if you just lean into what the fuck you’re good at and what you are, you will be so much better off.”
She lets out one last big laugh.
“I feel like I’m writing an English thesis the number of times I’ve mentioned acceptance. But that’s what it is. And as soon as you start to accept things, they all start to fall into place.
“It’s your strength.”
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