REVIEW: Stand Atlantic 'Pink Elephant'
Australia has become the breeding ground of musical talent over the last few years, and Sydney seemed to have crafted one of the best bands currently to step into the limelight of pop-punk. Stand Atlantic won us over in 2018, with their debut album Skinny Dipping. Since then, many of us waited with bated breath for when the band would return with another album. Stand Atlantic has come through yet again, firing off one of the best sophomore releases this year, Pink Elephant which debuted August 7th via Hopeless Records.
Pink Elephant starts with a little candy-coated atmospheric treat “Like That.” With Bonnie Fraser’s strong and fiery presence backed up by edgy guitar riffs and punchy percussive elements, it’s the perfect start to the album, showing the band’s effortless grasp of blending a myriad of musical elements to create infectiously catchy experiences.
We then move on to electric heavy “Shh,” infused with an adventurous pop-metal kick, again showing Stand Atlantic’s mastery of merging instrumental and genre environments. It’s a track that keeps the fury of energy going for “Blurry.” Another moment on the album that floats within the same vein of “Shh,” it lyrically stands out as one of the best emotionally written songs on the record.
Stand Atlantic then turns the tables on us again with another engaging hit “Jurassic Park.” Within testing the waters of new sounds, the pop-punk roots impressively stay forever intertwined with each song on the album. “Jurassic Park” proves this ten-fold with its stand-out meteoric punk guitar riffs. Infused with steel drum elements to add a fun kick to an already somber track lyrically, it shows the band can make hard subject matters still an engaging and enjoyable experience.
“Eviligo” sort-of slows down the high-impacting energy we have been getting thus far. However, Fraser’s vocals keep the edge consistently engraved into many of the songs, despite exchanging instrumental energies for a more subtle number. “Wavelength” puts a pep back into the records steps, giving us more of the kinetic vibes we experienced earlier with “Shh,” only turned up to an 11. Electric nuisances veil over some of the most tenacious guitar riffs and deeply-resonated drum work given to us thus far on Pink Elephant, lending us proof this album is a microcosm of sounds. You never know quite what you are going to get into after each song finishes.
“Drink To Drown” is one of the most delicate tracks on Pink Elephant, as they take off all the usual dressings we have experienced for a more denuded instrumental approach. With beautifully crafted piano key work that compliments its solemn yet powerful lyrics flawlessly, it’s a ballad that gives fans that loved moment like “Toothpick” on Skinny Dipping a gentle nod while also providing a nice change of pace on the album. “DWYW” and “Silk and Satin” then come back swinging with more potent fire-like energy, bringing some vitality back in the record once again. Although “Silk and Satin” is another slow track, it’s diverse electronic-pop components are used in a unique way that hasn’t be heard on the album at all up to this point.
We then come to the best track on Pink Elephant, “Soap,” injecting high-octane energy back into the last part of the album. Its infectious sun-soaked, rhythmic guitar riffs permeate the track, giving us one of the most perfectly crafted pop-punk songs on the record. The album ends on a fantastic note, unrolling the red carpet for hit track and single “Hate Me (Sometimes).” “Hate Me (Sometimes)” is a moment on the album that shows how incredibly talented this band is. Every instrumental, vocal, and lyrical element is ace and will leave Stand Atlantic fans coming back to this track over and over again.
Pink Elephant is an immersive world of sounds that provides a candid window into struggles and events while effortlessly building upon the engaging and fun pop-punk structures they successfully showcased on Skinny Dipping. Stand Atlantic doesn’t sign on the dotted line when it comes to staying within genre guidelines to create a great album. It’s a gorgeous musical backdrop that lifts the curtain on inner struggles and demons and remains so for the entire duration of the record. If it happens to take a detour while mixing in other instrumental elements along the way, then so be it. Honest and original the whole way through, Pink Elephant succeeds at showing this band is capable of doing many great things and that this is only the beginning of fresh and exciting sounds they can provide to the genre.