f.e.a.r. by Stand Atlantic (2022)
I’m calling Stand Atlantic indie pop, though I admit frontwoman Bonnie Fraser stretches the envelope when it comes to the number of f-bombs you can drop in anything considered pop. Stand Atlantic certainly resides in the pop-punk section of modern pop, but their tunes are so bright and melodic that they could still fit in just fine at your neighborhood pool party. Just tell the kids not to listen to the lyrics of “Pity Party” – chorus: “f**k you and f**k your pity party.”
“Van Gogh” establishes Stand Atlantic’s basic attack. A great pop hook verse gives way to a screaming chorus as the guitars rev up. Fraser has the rare ability to create high-energy screamers like “Hair Out” and “Bloodclot” without sacrificing the pop sensibility. And she can downshift into purer pop on songs like “Nails from the Back” though it is pop with lyrics like “I guess I’ll let the very best of me rot in peace.” That’s the brand of edgy pop you get from f.e.a.r.
Expert in a Dying Field by the Beths (2023)
The New Zealand quartet took a major step forward with their third studio album. Vocalist Eiizabeth Stokes’ established herself as one of the very best songwriters in modern pop. From the opening title track through the finale “2am,” Stokes never fails to find melodic hooks that serve up bittersweet, break-up lyrics without ever becoming maudlin. “Knees Deep” is impossibly catchy. “Silence is Golden” shows how Stokes can write a hard-driving drum-fueled rocker and still maintain a firm grasp on pop melody.
The rest of the album bounces along from the sweeter sounds of “Your Side” and “I Want to Listen” to more skittish rockers like “Head in the Clouds” and the anthemic “Best Left.” They conclude with more contemplative numbers that sweeten the mix, whether it is through mid-tempo rockers like “When You Know What You Know” or lovely romances like “A Passing Rain.” The same year, the Beths teamed with fellow Kiwi Lukas Mayo to release another undeniably sweet single, “Brand New Colony.”