Stand Atlantic

Stand Atlantic are an Australian pop punk band from Sydney, formed in 2012, consisting of vocalist/rhythm guitarist Bonnie Fraser, lead guitarist David Potter, bassist Miki Rich, and drummer Jonno Panichi. The band gained prominence in the Australian music scene with the release of their demo EPs, ''Catalyst'' (2013) and ''A Place Apart'' (2015). Ever since signing with Hopeless Records in September 2018, they have released four studio albums, ''Skinny Dipping'' (2018), '' Pink Elephant'' (2020), ''F.E.A.R.'' (2022), and '' Was Here'' (2024).

History

2012–2013: Formation as What It's Worth

In 2012, friends Bonnie Fraser (lead vocals/rhythm guitar) and Arthur Ng (lead guitar), joined by David Potter (bass) and Jordan Jansons (drums) formed a band under the name What It's Worth. The four-piece pop punk band began recording material, and released their debut single, "Bulletproof Vest" in December 2012. In May 2013, they released their debut demo EP, ''Catalyst'' via physical and online platforms, followed by the release of their next single, "Romeo". It was accompanied by two national tours of Australia in support of their debut EP.

2014–2017: Stand Atlantic and early EPs

In early 2014, the group changed their name from What It's Worth to Stand Atlantic. The band released their first single under the new name, "Breakaway", featuring the band's new sound, in March 2014. It was accompanied by a fan-made lyric video. Stand Atlantic returned to the studio during November 2014, working on their next demo EP, ''A Place Apart''. During this time Jansons left the band and was replaced by Ethan Mestroni. The first single, "Wasteland", was released in April 2015 with the full EP later the same month. The EP was recorded by Rohan Kumar and mixed by Dave Petrovic. The band toured with As It Is, State Champs, and Young Lions during 2015.

In 2016, the band toured with With Confidence before joining Cute Is What We Aim For on their tenth anniversary tour of ''The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch'' album. It was also announced that the band were to play at Bondi-Blitz. They released a cover of Ariana Grande's " Break Free" on Ghost Killer Entertainment in June 2016. In September 2016, the band announced via a Facebook post, that Ng had chosen to leave the band. The post also included news that they were working on new music with Stevie Knight. On 21 June 2017, Stand Atlantic announced they had signed to Rude Records, becoming the first Australian band to do so. The band announced later that day that their first single from the new EP, "Coffee at Midnight", would be premiered on Triple J that night. The EP ''Sidewinder'' was released on 15 September 2017. In October 2017, Stand Atlantic announced they would be supporting ROAM on their European and UK tours. The group supported Knuckle Puck on their January 2018 Australian tour. Stand Atlantic's EP, ''Sidewinder'', made 10th place on Rock Sound's Top 50 Albums of 2017.

2018–2022: ''Skinny Dipping'', ''Pink Elephant'', and ''F.E.A.R.''

In September 2018, Stand Atlantic announced that they had signed to Hopeless Records and released the single "Lavender Bones". Their debut studio album, ''Skinny Dipping'', was released in October 2018. On 5 July 2019, Stand Atlantic announced Miki Rich as a permanent member of the band, after he had been touring with them as their bassist since 2017. In September 2019, they released the single "Hate Me (Sometimes)". In February 2020, Stand Atlantic released the single "Shh!", which was followed by "Drink to Drown" in April 2020, and "Wavelength" in May 2024. Their second studio album, '' Pink Elephant'', was released on 7 August 2020. ''Pink Elephant'' debuted at number 23 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

On 29 April 2021, the band released "Deathwish", a track which featured Nothing,Nowhere, along with an accompanying music video. This was followed in September 2021, with "Superglue" featuring Birds of Tokyo. On 4 November 2021, they released "Molotov (OK)", with an accompanying music video. Fraser said of the song's themes that "I went to a Christian school for 3 years of my life and when a pastor says 'all gays will burn in hell' during an assembly, you're gonna remember it, and you're gonna write a song about it." In January 2022, the group released "Pity Party" with Royal & the Serpent as the lead single from their album ''F.E.A.R.'', which followed on 6 May 2022.

2023–present: ''Was Here''

On 3 February 2023, the band released single "kill r", a track about how "Self-sabotage is a bitch. Self-doubt kills and denying good and genuine parts of yourself because you’ve been conditioned to think they’re not good enough is a form of murder. It's a reminder to myself not to give in to that shit. Personal growth is important but don't deny who you are. Sometimes I find myself thinking back to who I used to be and missing that person." '' Was Here'' was released on 23 August 2024. The album reached number 12 on the UK Rock & Metal Chart.

Musical style and influences

Will Cross of ''Rock Sound'', reviewing Stand Atlantic's EP ''Sidewinder'', wrote: "the trio have created an EP that's assured, accessible and properly brilliant." Caitlin Olsen of , reviewing the same EP, wrote: "the EP throws back to mid-2000s pop punk with a contemporary alternative twist. It's tight, it's soulful, and it's loaded with grit."

The band has stated influences from bands and artists such as Blink-182, The Story So Far, Justin Bieber, Silverchair, The 1975, and Moose Blood.

Members

Current
* Bonnie Fraser – vocals, rhythm guitar (2012–present)
* David Potter – lead guitar (2017–present), bass guitar (2012–2017), keyboards
* Jonno Panichi – drums (2015–present)
* Miki Rich – bass guitar (2019–present, touring 2017–2019)

Former
* Arthur Ng – lead guitar (2012–2016)
* Jordan Jansons – drums (2012–2014)

Touring musicians
* Ethan Mestroni – drums (2014–2015)
* Will Robinson – lead guitar (2016–2017)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Awards and nominations

J Awards

The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.

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, -
, 2022
, Australian Album of the Year
, ''f.e.a.r.''
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References

External links

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Australian musical quartets
Australian rock music groups
Australian pop punk groups
Hopeless Records artists
Musical groups established in 2012
2012 establishments in Australia
Musical groups from Sydney
Female-fronted musical groups
Mixed-gender bands