Pink Elephant - Stand Atlantic (2020) REVIEW

Pink Elephant - Stand Atlantic (2020)

Stand Atlantic stormed into the music industry with their breakthrough EP ‘Sidewinder’ in 2017, leaving a lasting first impression, then later releasing their first full-length album ‘Skinny Dipping’ in 2018. They’ve become a staple in the pop punk fans music library with their tracks being perfectly thrown together, crisp aussie vocals from Bonnie, swift drums from Jonno and fierce guitars from Miki and Potter.

The band managed to release their sophomore album ‘Pink Elephant’ during a pandemic, with it still being utterly successful and mind blowing in spite of not being able to perform the tracks.The songs that piece this album together make it infectious, bouncing singles still feeling new when listening, despite being released prior to the complete full-length.

‘Like That’ is what we hear first - a blaze, crafted to perfection with Jonno’s explosive drums, kickstarting the glowing feeling of rebellion in the album. The track detonates into a pop punk masterpiece as ‘Heavy dose, comatose, can’t seem to find the words’ sums up this track as an overwhelming feeling, portrayed effortlessly.

Taking a rock approach, ‘Shh!’ is more electronic, introduced before the full-length, giving fans a taste of what the band had been working on, whipping a new sound into the mix with this track being up in our faces. Bonnie yells her way back into our heads with ‘You better think with your mouth’ , reminding the listeners that people's opinions easily manipulate them.

‘Blurry’ and ‘Jurassic Park’ got people excited for the new record, these singles quickly grew Stand Atlantic’s audience and drove ‘Pink Elephant’ to fame. It’s impossible not to shout the lyrics ‘Sever up my body’ , with Bonnie’s vocals combined with grooving guitars, immensely powering through the track. Then ‘Jurassic Park’ embodies severe confidence, exploding into a huge chorus, again with Bonnie’s snarling vocals and Jonno’s mammoth drums. Refusing to be weighed down by the rules but still grabbing pop punk with both hands, echoing ‘Dancing with ghosts in your garden’.

‘Eviligo’ has a different approach but soon became a fan favourite, even though recently Bonnie disclosed how this was the first time she challenged herself to write something that didn’t have anything to do with her. The meaning behind the track is wanting to know everything about a person, could be inspired by the meaning of the word which is ‘To awaken’. Clutching guitars become a shining part of this track after the eruption of the last chorus, being an iconic and valued addition to the track.

When ‘Wavelength’ was due to be released, Stand Atlantic warned that they didn’t care about their genre anymore and it’s pretty clear in this track. A combination of electronic elements makes this track so unique. Crunching synths sway to almost alt pop but still slipping in some pop punk elements to remind us of their routes. It was a crucial introduction to this new venture for the band, creating questions about what they would release next (which would be ‘Pink Elephant’).

‘Silk and Satin’ and ‘Drink to Drown’ are more personal tracks on the sophomore album, bearing all in the acoustic ‘Drink to Drown’, providing comfort and reassurance. While Bonnie lets us in over snagging beats in ‘Silk and Satin’, providing a softer addition to the album through ‘I’m sick of telling myself that I don’t need your help / I’m all I have’.

Electricity feeds through ‘DWYW’ (Do What You Want), becoming a vital track on this full-length, roaring ‘Take me closer to the sun’ to give it a feeling of dynamite. I truly believe Stand Atlantic are untouchable and it was through this track that made me feel this way, the lyrics in this song imply how you feel powerless to someone beautifully. The band deliver feel-good pop punk throughout the full-length and there’s no exception with this song.

Charged energy is evident in ‘Hate Me (Sometimes)’, crafted with catchy riffs combined with ‘I catch fire so deliberately, til I taste the smoke’. This track is effortlessly ‘Stand Atlantic’, perfectly chaotic but composed with clever lyrics to propel this song to be one of the biggest on this record.

Easy listening ‘Soap’ opens with ‘You gotta pull me out, pink elephant’, implying the album can be centred around this track. It feels sunny and relaxed, like Stand Atlantic know they can experiment with other components but they’ll always be the most comfortable with tracks like this one.

If you haven’t listened to this album yet, you should - perfect modern pop-punk, sculpted into whatever Stand Atlantic want to try, making it their most powerful and adventurous offering yet.