The duo, with Jonny Fox and Renee Couture from Ontario, formed in 2011. While gaining traction, they entered a radio station Rocksearch with nearly 150 bands in 2012. They won unanimously, which had never been done before.

They recorded Pushing Electric out of a basement before and released it independently. They said it was a tribute to Nikola Tesla, The Electric Jesus.

Their first EP was released in 2015, called From the Devil’s Porch. It’s a great start and got the ball rolling on their career. It has six songs, and all flow nicely and fit well. The whole album has punch and hits hard. There’s an edge to their sound. It’s an impressive first release that ends on a high note with my favorite song, “Rise of The Fall.” I think “Pay No Mind” and “Shotgun” stand out as well. iTunes included it on their list of best rock albums of 2015.

Their first studio album is awesome. Badlands (2019) was a great next step for their progression, and probably my favorite Standstills album. Songs like “Cold Blooded Killer,” “Black Hill Creek,” “Diablo,” and “Shaker Down” are my favorite of this album.

Their latest entry, which is played quite often on Evolution, came out in 2022. Shockwaves built on previous entries and is another excellent album. “Maple Sugar,” “Motherlode,” “Get Right,” “Pretty Little Broken Thing,” and “Heavy is the Reason” are my recommendations.

According to Canadian Beats, “Shockwaves was produced by Three Days Grace drummer and main songwriter Neil Sanderson and mixed by Grammy Award-winner Howard Benson. The songs are derived from Jonny and Renee’s personal experiences as a couple in a band, moving up the ranks in the rock world.”

They’ve done some fun cover songs too, like Alice Cooper’s “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and Ram Jam’s “Black Betty.” Both put a nice modern spin on a classic.

Unfortunately, they don’t have any shows scheduled in BC now. They did just play in Vancouver at Queen Elizabeth Theatre last November and played at Commodore Ballroom before that so it’s just a matter of time until they come back!

The Standstills have steadily built a following, and it feels like we’re on the verge of them getting to that next level. Where they go from here will dictate how far they go. If their next album is on par or better than their previous, then they cement themselves and their signature sound as one of Canada’s fastest-rising bands.