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Stand Alone are a 5 piece hardcore band from south-west London, England. Stand Alone formed in 2014 when four strangers met online, who all had the same issue with being frustrated with lack of opportunities, where they were located or were new to the country, but all had the same striving passion for writing music. After meeting up at their local with a few pints, they invited one of the members’ high school friend to join with starting a “hardcore project”, which is now known across the hardcore scene as the band Stand Alone, with band members Ian Stalker (guitar), Alex Jimenez (guitar), Joe Blackford (bass/vocals), Richard Carswell (drums), and Steve Kerr (vocals). Since Stand Alone forming they directed themselves right into writing and have came away with their self titled EP “Stand Alone EP” – Which they dropped on the 9th of December this year… and another great thing, it’s absolutely free from their bandcamp page!
I have listened to this EP countless times now, and quite frankly it’s absolutely brilliant. Stand Alone don’t sound like your average hardcore band. There are a lot of different creative inputs going into this EP. If I were to subcategorise these guys, I would put them under melodic hardcore. The sound coming from them is totally unique! From the first track off the 6 tracked EP “Short Sighted”, it completely drew me in, making me feel like I HAD to hear more. “Short Sighted” is also the first single to be taken from the EP, complete with a video. As soon as you hear the first few seconds, the technical drum patterns drag you in, then everything kicks in all at the once, heavy bass lines and clear dirty vocals. A great kick off to the EP!
The second track “Hapless Consequence” is the heaviest track for me. It pulls you in from the start, gets you moving. Definitely a fun one to jump around at shows!
“No Resurrections” is the third track, and one of the more faster-tempoed tracks off this EP. Heavy, brutal, and catchy backing vocals!
Number four, “Strike An Old Pose”, has heavy bass tones, typically your original hardcore sounding track. I got a few old skool punk vibes from this one. Another fun one to lose yourself to at shows! Crowd surfing and high fives!
Careering towards the final minutes of the album, is “A Thousand Fathers”. This is one of my favorites. Very melodical, I felt reminders of the old hardcore band Heights in this track. All the feels.
Saving the best till last comes “Lumberjacked”. It instantly drew me in from the off. The guitars sound so emotional, with the mellowed out clean vocals… then all of the band bringing it, but keeping it at a slow tempo. The lyrics in this track are beautiful. I definitely related to them.
I am a massive fan of hardcore music, but it takes a lot for me to instantly feel a connection with a band, especially of this genre, because a lot of them all just sound the same – but Stand Alone definitely stand alone, far from the rest of mediocre bands of this genre. I would highly recommend listening to this band. I’m sure they are the next big thing. For fans of Heights, More Than Life, Being As An Ocean, and Blood Youth.
Review: Carol Black
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