On July 20th, 2022, one of the many Long Island bands that refuse to be confined to one genre dropped their latest release: Stand Still's "In A Moment's Notice." Existing in the space between hardcore, emo, pop-punk, and alternative, this is the band's first new material since their debut EP "A Practice In Patience", which entered its hat into LI hardcore's ring about a year ago.
I absolutely loved "A Practice In Patience" and listened to it non-stop when it came out last summer. Seeing Stand Still play their first show at Amityville Music Hall during the Koyo "Drives Out East" record-release weekend was also an absolutely magical experience.
The minute the band began teasing new music this past spring, I was waiting with bated breath to see what their next move would be. That next move ended up being the high-energy single "Loose Ends" and the announcement of their next EP, "In A Moment's Notice."
"Loose Ends" is a song about navigating a chaotic and everchanging lifestyle according to frontman Gerry Windus. The desperation and anxiety are clearly communicated with a backdrop of endlessly catchy hooks and guitar riffs.
"With All My Love" is the second track on the EP, and although it maintains a drearier tone, the band's hardcore influence is as present as ever. What makes Stand Still so unique is that their lyrics are personal and specific to the writer's experiences, but still feel relatable to their listeners, a feat that not many artists can accomplish.
The last new song on "In A Moment's Notice", "Trading Places", may take Avengers: Infinity War's place as the most ambitious crossover in history (that is if a Long Island hardcore kid who spends their weekends at AMH is writing the list). The band summons Innerlove. vocalist Ryan O'Rourke to help create yet another Stand Still track that will get stuck in your head for the foreseeable future.
The final three tracks that this EP has to offer are live versions of songs from "A Practice in Patience" recorded at Silver Bullet Studios. This band's music translates beautifully to a live setting, so the fact that they were able to capture that energy in these sessions is great to see.
Another thing worth noting is that these reimagined tracks from their first EP have not lost their charm as time has passed. "There's No Autumn Here" still packs as hard of a punch as the first time I heard it, "Id" still makes me want to get up and dance no matter how tired I am, and "Lockbox" still has some of my favorite vocal deliveries of all time.
After giving "In A Moment's Notice" a listen, I was able to chat with Stand Still vocalist Gerry Windus about the process of recording and releasing the EP, playing live shows, and more. Check out the interview below!
Jennifer Moglia: Thanks so much for chatting with me today! Can you introduce yourself to the readers?
Gerry Windus: What's up! I’m Gerry, I sing in Stand Still. I’m 24 and my pronouns are he/him. I grew up in Medford on Long Island.
JM: Congratulations on the release of your new EP, "In A Moment's Notice!" Where did the inspiration for that title come from?
GW: Thank you! The title is drawn from a line in the third song “Trading Places”, which is essentially about having an out-of-body experience and seeing through the eyes of your peers. I’m sure I could BS some hidden meaning for the EP name but it’s really as simple as I thought it sounded cool.
JM: How did you make the choice between releasing an EP on a quicker timeline or recording a full-length LP? Is an LP in the works, or just enjoying the EP release for now?
GW: So these songs were actually recorded in the same sessions as our last EP and our first single “Free My Mind”. We did nine songs and decided instead of dropping them all at once it would be best to give them some breathing room.
We noticed that these three songs have a unique vibe from the others and thought it would be cool to give them their own release. As for LP1 we are in the process of writing it and I’m super excited to talk about it when the time comes, but for now, I’m very glad everyone finally gets to hear these new songs.
JM: What is your favorite out of the new tracks on the EP? Which of the Silver Bullet Studios renditions is your favorite? What makes each of those tracks your favorite?
GW: Loose Ends is definitely my favorite of the three new tracks. It’s really fun to perform and I think it’s definitely one of our catchiest to date.
As for the live tracks I love how they all came out, Chris and Greg are the best and made it sound incredible. If I had to pick one it’d probably be “Id” because that one was also really fun to do in the studio and is always my favorite song to play live.
JM: Can you talk a little bit about the decision to record songs from "A Practice in Patience" at Silver Bullet? I really love the way they bring the live experience into the EP!
GW: We recorded the Silver Bullet sessions during a point in the pandemic where shows had not yet come back, but we had released "A Practice In Patience" and really wanted people to hear us perform the new songs. A few of us had recorded with Chris and Greg in the past and loved their work, and decided it would be the safest way to perform these songs for people while we were still waiting for shows to start up again.
Anthony Pasini filmed our music video for “Satellites” so it was a no-brainer to have him come film the session. Since then we’ve wanted to do an official release for the songs but weren’t sure when the right time would be, but with this new EP we wanted to have a B-side on the vinyl version that included some of our older songs so the timing was perfect.
JM: Speaking of the live experience, you guys played your first show just under a year ago. How have you liked playing the songs from "A Practice In Patience" live? Are there any shows/venues/cities that stand out as a favorite?
GW: Our live shows have exceeded expectations for a first-year band. The first show blew all of our minds, it was really one of those transformative moments that made us all feel like our work had paid off.
We’ve done a lot of touring and played a lot of crazy shows since then including LDB fest, SWB fest, the First Unitarian Church in Philly, and Cobra Lounge in Chicago to name just a few. One show that stands out to me as one of the most fun was in Beacon, NY with Wild Red at a restaurant/bar called Quinn’s. It felt more like a party than a show, anyone that was there will tell you how awesome it was.
JM: Also on the topic of live shows, I saw that you recently announced a tour with Bent Blue - congrats! How did you make the decision to bring Bent Blue along? Anything you're looking forward to in particular for this run?
GW: Bent Blue reached out to us a few months back about doing a summer tour on the east coast, and it lined up perfectly with our EP release so it made total sense for us. They’re a great band and I can’t wait to watch them every night.
My friend Josh over at State Of Mind Touring helped us book it and I’m super excited to play some new places. I’m most definitely excited for The Rumble in Chicago, it’s a stacked fest that’s already sold out and all of the profits are going to the Midwest Access Coalition.
JM: You guys have played a bunch of shows with other Long Island bands like Pain of Truth, Private Mind and Koyo. What does the Long Island Hardcore scene mean to you? What's so special about living here and/or being in a band/playing shows here?
GW: We’ve all been going to shows and playing in bands here for years, but I think I can speak for everyone when I say that this is the most true-to-form Long Island band that any of us have been in. I firmly believe that Long Island has the best hardcore scene in the country.
Geographically, Long Island is small and to be honest it is pretty inaccessible for people traveling from places outside of New York. That being said, the list of influential and important bands that are from here is undeniable.
For us to get the stamp of approval from people that played in bands like Crime In Stereo, The Movielife, and Silent Majority is infinitely rewarding. This sounds shitty to say but if you aren’t from here you’ll never truly know how special it is.
By no means is Long Island perfect, and I’d argue its imperfection is one of its charming qualities. I probably won’t stay here forever, but growing up here and going to shows here has no doubt shaped the person I am today.
JM: If you could pick the perfect place on LI for someone to go to listen to the new EP, what would it be? I'm a big believer in listening to new releases on drives to Jones Beach.
GW: I think the drive to Amityville Music Hall on August 13th is a good place to start! For real, I love driving through the north shore, especially in the summer.
If you’re going to listen to the EP in your car then go do some Long Island stuff while you’re at it. Go get a BEC and some coffee, go to the beach, and get Ralph's after. Get some friends together and hit a Diner. Whatever it is, keep it OS.
JM: Huge thanks to you again for doing this! Is there anything else you'd like to add?
GW: Thanks to anyone that has checked out the new EP, make sure you come hang at our release show at AMH on 8/13. If you’re in proximity to any of the shows on our headline tour with Bent Blue please stop by and say what’s up. Shoutout to Daze, BBB, and NMZ. And thanks for asking us to do this interview!
Once more, thank you to Gerry for doing this interview! You can find him and the rest of Stand Still on Instagram @StandStill.NY, Facebook @StandStill.NY, and Twitter @StandStill_NY.
You can stream "In A Moment's Notice" wherever you listen to music, and you can grab physical copies of the EP via Daze, Triple B, New Morality Zine, Revolver, Brooklyn Vegan, and The Hard Times. If physical music isn't your thing, you can pick up some merch through the band's online store.
Stand Still has also released a music video for "Loose Ends" and a visual component to the Silver Bullet Studios sessions, both of which you can watch now. If you'd like to see them live this summer, they'll be playing a few shows with Bent Blue before playing The Rumble in Chicago, IL, and their record-release show at AMH.
What releases do you want to see us review next, and what artists do you want to see us talk to next? Let us know by tweeting us @StrawbSkiesBlog! You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook @StrawberrySkiesBlog, and you can support us by picking up a Strawberry Skies shirt and/or Strawberry Skies stickers.