If there’s an arc to Stand Atlantic’s career thus far, it’s been that of attempting to navigate through life’s messes, only to succumb to them further each time. That’s been true on all fronts, lyrical and musical. With the former, Bonnie Fraser’s intense self-awareness has become more ugly and unstable with time, delivered with an urgency coated in jutting angles. Musically, meanwhile, Stand Atlantic have strived to auralise that inherent chaos, particularly on f.e.a.r and WAS HERE. Both have a clashing, heavily-produced pop-rock style that’s almost deliberately unappealing at points. Particularly on the latter with its abrasive textural choices that’d dip into alt-metal, its version of Stand Atlantic is strongly signified—fried; self-combative; almost unrecognisable from the fresh-faced pop-punks of Skinny Dipping just six years prior.
To call the thematic about-face on GODBREATH sudden, then, is understating it. It’s a near-total renovation, tightly grasping newfound positivity and winding up more uplifted than even Stand Atlantic’s earliest work. And that’s in no uncertain terms; it’s right from the beginning. LUCID as the first song is the thesis statement, where previous narratives are smoothed out and Fraser’s self-acceptance and admission of healing takes centre stage. Obviously it’s a wonderful thing that such personal turbulence has cleared, but from a creative standpoint? Well…
It’s the instantaneous snap back from the brink that kicks off the complaints with GODBREATH. More accurately, it’s the specific way that it plays out: something’s been taken out, but not replaced in equal capacity. As spoilsporty as it sounds to say, a loved-up Fraser who’s escaped past chaos simply doesn’t grip as much as a POV. Take EDGE OF VEGAS, for example, whose central motif of slowing down and stepping back is met by a soft shuffle to crystallise all the peritext. It’s pleasant but nothing exceptional, and a significant dismantling of what Stand Atlantic have been doing best. SO COOL works for that exact reason, as it maintains the showboating swagger that a more outgoing Fraser would’ve revelled in previously. By comparison, songs like NEXT2U and Velcro don’t hit in the same way.
Undoubtedly, that’s the whole point. GODBREATH is built to be a more comfortable version of Stand Atlantic, free from anxious spikes and the need to overcorrect at a moment’s notice. In that sense, then, it’s still alright. Stand Atlantic are a good enough band to turn back to straight pop-punk and pop-rock with deftness, shown off pretty consistently. It’s good that Velcro can return to a late-2010s bounce à la Skinny Dipping and not be overrun with rust. Alternatively, the surging modern-rock angle hasn’t been totally ditched, as Favourite Flavour and teeth show off its ironed-out reworking. In a vacuum, Stand Atlantic’s pop-rock backbone remains fairly upright.
Then again, for a title as indicative of almighty, supernatural force as GODBREATH, there’s kind of a different bar set, one that isn’t hit all the often. It’s a mood that this lighter, brighter Stand Atlantic isn’t really equipped for, no less because there’s still modern production on here and the limitations that come with it. The fact that finger sounds as much like mgk’s cliché as it does should be throwing up red flags. In that same vein, EDGE OF VEGAS and HeadRush are both small and washed-out, codified in the way that forgettable 2010s alt-pop was. At least, most of the time, there’s enough melodic muscle to outshine the polish. It’s always there but not precisely implacable, and that’s a point in GODBREATH’s favour.
At the same time, it’s also an album that leaves you scrambling for much to say at all. It’s likely Stand Atlantic’s least interesting album, exacerbated by the sharpness of previous work that’s been tossed aside in one go. Their likability hasn’t gone anywhere; Fraser is still an expressive singer, and on average, the songs are catchy enough to endure a bit. It’s just not as potent as what Stand Atlantic have had in their tank before. Maybe history will deem GODBREATH their transitional album, then, or the return to equilibrium after so much unleashed tumult. Either way, it could afford to do a lot more.
For fans of: Tonight Alive, Hot Milk, Yours Truly
‘GODBREATH’ by Stand Atlantic is released on 23rd October on Virgin Music.
Words by Luke Nuttall
