Stand Atlantic’s Bonnie Fraser has a problem with the way modern rock music sounds. Too much polish, too much perfection and, increasingly, too little of the human element that made her fall in love with the genre in the first place.
So when it came time to make the Australian band’s fifth studio album, GODBREATH, Fraser decided to do something different: put the musicians in a room together and record them playing.
The approach has now helped deliver Stand Atlantic their first No. 1 album in Australia. Released Oct. 23 via Virgin Music Group, GODBREATH debuted atop the ARIA Albums Chart, also reaching No. 1 on the Australian Albums Chart and No. 3 on the Vinyl Albums Chart.
Speaking with Billboard ahead of the release, Fraser explained why she and producer Stevie Knight were determined to bring a more immediate, imperfect sound to the record.
“Everything is just perfect, it’s too perfect now,” Fraser said of modern rock production. “And everything sounds kind of the same in the production kind of way.”
The frontwoman was quick to clarify that her frustration wasn’t directed at the artists themselves, noting that Stand Atlantic had previously embraced the same production techniques. But with artificial intelligence becoming increasingly prevalent across creative industries, she found herself drawn to older recordings that sounded unmistakably human.
“Rock is supposed to be alternative. It’s supposed to be about rebelling,” she said. “I just personally wanted to recapture that organic and human connection that you can hear on older records.”
Fraser found inspiration watching early-2000s festival performances and listening to older EPs by established rock bands, where rough edges were part of the appeal.
That thinking shaped the recording of GODBREATH, with the band tracking all 11 songs live rather than building each performance separately.
“I hope that they kind of feel like they’re sort of in the room with us when we recorded it,” she said. “We were all just in the same room recording it at the same time.”
The album moves between the melodic pull of “Velcro,” the heavier “SO COOL” and “NEXT2U,” a song inspired by the friendships and connections that remain important amid years of touring.
For Fraser, the record also represents a shift in confidence. She revealed that the title GODBREATH came to her before the songs were written, continuing a pattern that has followed her throughout Stand Atlantic’s career.
The phrase, she explained, can describe either the arrogance of someone who believes they’re God’s gift to the world or the more positive feeling of being completely comfortable with yourself.
“I liked the element — the contrast of each way you can kind of look at it,” she said. “I felt like it kind of summed up the album.”
That sense of confidence extended to the release itself. Unlike previous albums, Fraser said she wasn’t particularly anxious about how fans would receive the new material.
“I think in a lot of ways we kind of threw back to our first record in a weird way,” she explained. “So I feel like our fans would enjoy this record for that reason.”
The album’s chart performance marks another step in a steady upward trajectory for the Sydney group. Their 2020 album Pink Elephant peaked at No. 23 on the ARIA Albums Chart, followed by F.E.A.R. at No. 10 in 2022 and WAS HERE at No. 3 in 2024. With GODBREATH, they’ve reached the top for the first time.
But after more than a decade in the music industry, Fraser is skeptical of the idea that commercial success alone makes an artist special.
Asked about the biggest lie the industry tells emerging musicians, her answer was immediate: “You’re special.”
“I feel like you can be told the sun shines out your a**, but unless you kind of believe that too to a degree and keep working for it, nothing will get handed to you just because some exec tells you that you’re special,” she said.
It’s a perspective shaped by years on the road, where Stand Atlantic have watched pop-punk evolve through changing tastes, new generations of artists and shifting industry expectations.
“I don’t even know what pop punk is anymore,” Fraser admitted, before reflecting on the genre’s enduring audience. “It’s one of those genres that just never dies. It just transforms a little bit.”
Fraser also believes alternative music has become more representative of the people listening to it. While she still encounters familiar sexist assumptions — including being asked to show a tour pass when male colleagues are waved through — she sees meaningful progress in the visibility of women, LGBTQ+ musicians and artists of color.
“I feel like the representation is the main thing that has changed,” she said. “The women are f****** crushing it.”
Stand Atlantic launched their Australian tour on the same day GODBREATH arrived, playing Brisbane before dates in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. The run included support from Knuckle Puck, bringing the bands together again after Stand Atlantic supported the American pop-punk group in 2018.
Next, Stand Atlantic are heading back to the United States, with an appearance at Vans Warped Tour in Orlando on Nov. 15 before joining Story of the Year and Silverstein on their Camp Screamo tour.
Fraser also teased further projects for 2027, including potential collaborations outside traditional artist features. She’s particularly interested in working with a heavier band, either by appearing on another group’s track or writing something together from scratch.
For now, though, the band’s priorities remain remarkably straightforward.
“As long as we’re still filling out rooms and being able to do what we do, and people still connect to the music, then we’ll stay here,” she added. “I just hope it’s something that lives on for a long time.”
Listen to GODBREATH below.
