Over two years in the making, Long Island’s Stand Still is excited to share the debut full-length, ‘Steps Ascending’, out today through DAZE. Formed in 2020, Stand Still launched with their EP, ‘A Practice In Patience’, in 2021, followed by their second EP, ‘In A Moment’s Notice’ in 2022. Throughout the ten songs on ‘Steps Ascending’, the band sticks true to their emotionally driven melodic hardcore, while also generating some of their heaviest material yet. The song structures are bright, weaved with moody lyrics and bouncy breakdowns that can be expected to hit hard in a live setting. Guest features from Kristian Hallbert of Crime In Stereo and Michael Smith of Pain Of Truth make it a true Long Island music scene affair. The record was produced and mixed by Greg Thomas at Silver Bullet Studios, with additional mixing by Chris Teti, and mastered by Kris Crummett at Interlace Audio.
Speaking on the album’s themes, vocalist Gerry Windus states: “A lot of my lyrics end up reading like an internal dialogue, and maybe that’s the best way to convey whatever story I’m trying to tell. Many of these songs ended up playing on the theme of growing up religious, which is a common thread for a lot of people who grew up on Long Island. The album art portrays one’s attempt to escape from a religious belief system that is instilled in them. This ‘catholic guilt’ leads them to believe that their actions in life will be judged upon death. This theme is most thoroughly explored in the title track. The LP as a whole doesn’t follow this theme for its entirety, however.”