Photo by Elyza Reinhart

Look, we don’t need every single hardcore band to reinvent the wheel. As long as they’re doing it with an all-in passion and justice, that will be more than enough to satiate that certain fix you get when the emotions hit just right. “We Know the Score”, a highlight from Stand Still’s imminent-to-be-released debut full-length, Steps Ascending, is the glory of all things hardcore community, introspection, and then some as an affirming crew anthem which hears the Long Island band teaming up with Michael Smith of local scene peers Pain of Truth for a collision between the scene’s more melodic and harder edges. “Are you the person you present?,” vocalist Gerry Windus sings. That question remains rhetorical throughout each verse, and it only digs deeper in its reflection of the self the more the listen throttles your brain. Every player and hook hits their mark, and you come out better for it.

Stand Still’s Steps Ascending will be released June 14th on DAZE.