Stand Atlantic on a new EP, their beginnings and being the first Australian band to be signed to international label Rude Records
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Stand Atlantic on a new EP, their beginnings and being the first Australian band to be signed to international label Rude Records

After recently being the first Australian band to be signed to international label Rude Records, Sydney pop-punk trio are due to release their new EP ‘Sidewinder’ this year. We had a chat lead singer Bonnie to find out more.

Hi, Bonnie, thanks for taking the time to chat with Forte. You’re the lead singer of a powerful pop punk-pop rock band, Stand Atlantic. Tell us a little about your new upcoming EP, ‘Sidewinder’.

Well with this EP we really wanted to focus on song writing, vocal melodies and hooks and just making sure every song stands on its own. We released a demo EP about two years ago, and we wanted to make this EP a real step up and we are so stoked on how it turned out. We’re so proud of all the songs. Working with producer Steve Knight was a first for us and we learnt so much working with him.

Tell us, how long have you guys been a band and how did you come together?

With this line up, as Stand Atlantic, we’ve been around about two years. Our bassist Potter and I went to music school together so that’s how we know each other. We were in a band prior to Stand Atlantic but we decided that that band sucked and we just wanted to start fresh so we changed the name and the rest is history!

You’ve just become the first Australian band to be signed to international label Rude Records, do you think Australia is a strong force in the worldwide pop punk/pop rock scene?

I think at the moment, labels are signing Australian pop punk bands left, right and centre. But I think the fact that we’re so far away from such huge markets like the US and the UK, I feel like it makes the bands that really want to do this, work harder and try and be the best they can to stand out. So I think, even though it’s slim pickings for how many pop punk bands there are here, the ones that we do have mean business.

The first track off your new EP ‘Coffee At Midnight’ has recently been released with a video clip, tell us a bit about some of the main themes of this song and/or video, what’s being portrayed?

For the video, we wanted a non-linear story but to keep it as something that most people can relate to, you know, the classic relationship that didn’t really end so well. We’ve always wanted to work with director Kieran Ellis Jones because his videos always stand out. Really, we left it up to him! He filmed the narrative parts in Melbourne. We just wanted it to look pretty and have a simple story line that people can follow and we’re so happy with how it turned out.

The EP title ‘Sidewinder’ is interesting, that’s a kind of snake isn’t it? What kind of significance does that have for this EP?

Fun fact, it’s also a type of potato, so we have potato album coming out! But to be honest, I just thought the name was really cool and it became quite meaningful to us as a band. The actual track ‘Sidewinder’ on the EP was a real turning point in how we write and what the EP was going to bring as a whole, it really just brought it all together so nicely. I’m actually petrified of snakes!

When did you realise you had such a powerful rock voice?

I actually only started singing quite late in the game, when I was about 16 or 17. I started out with no confidence, just posting acoustic covers to YouTube. But in terms of my singing style, I think it was just down to my influences and the bands that I listened to. The sound that I like to hear. I don’t really do the whole all-perfect vocal style, even though that’s awesome and if you can pull that off, you’re a God!

The pop punk-pop rock genre tends to be very male dominated, would you like to inspire other girls to just scream and play guitar and rock out?

Totally! If a girl was looking at our band and thinking ‘I want to do that’, as a female, I would be so stoked! That’s what Avril Lavigne did for me when I was young. She just made it seem possible and not weird for a girl to do, because it’s not weird and it shouldn’t be seen as weird. So if I can inspire other girls to do the same, I would be like hell yeah! If you want to do that, do it!

Catch Stand Atlantic’s new EP ‘Sidewinder’ on September 15, and check out the video clip for the first track ‘Coffee At Midnight’ up on Rude Records’ Youtube channel now!