Better Than The Book

Photo credit: Roxi Abbott @Roxisound

Artist's Interpretation

About Better Than The Book

Better Than The Book is a ska-punk/pop-punk music project by UK based multi-instrumentalist, producer and audio engineer, Nick Standing AKA Jabun.

Starting in mid 2012, BTTB formed as a means of catharsis for difficulties in Nick's life, as can be heard in many of the lyrics from One Small Step, Two Years On and the latest album Hopes and Dreams. Since then, and with the goal of getting people pumped up for living life to the full, Better Than The Book, via high-energy instrumentals and honest relatable lyrics about Nick's own experiences, has been on a mission to create heartfelt anthems to inspire and help people know that they aren't alone with their worries or the problems they face. That along with various stories about life and living make up what it means to be Better Than The Book.

After much hard work and preparation, Better Than The Book's 2nd full-length studio album, Hopes and Dreams was released on July 19th 2019: 10 tracks; 39+ minutes; one heartfelt ska punk adventure carrying straight on from where Two Years On left off! Pick it up on Bandcamp, check out the animated lyric video for the lead single Meteor Shower with visuals by World Beyond, and get even more from BTTB on Patreon including the full Better Than The Book & Jabun discographies when you sign up!

Since its release, Hopes and Dreams has received amazing acclaim worldwide, with 9/10 of the songs featured on radio shows all the way across the USA and UK to Australia including numerous programs on idobi Radio (USA), BBC Introducing (UK), and The Ska Show with Beefy (Australia), the #1 rated ska music podcast in the world! Check out all of Better Than The Book's press features including radio, web magazines, interviews and more on the BTTB PRESS page!

Following the amazing reception of Hopes and Dreams, in December 2019 Better Than The Book finally gathered a team of musicians for its first full-band rehearsal, and after a global pandemic's worth of disruptions is preparing again to hit the stage in 2024! Keep up to date with the latest gig info on the BTTB GIGS page and say hello to the Better Than The Book LIVE band:

Nick Standing: Lead vocals and guitar
Eamon Standing: Backing vocals, guitar and harmonica
Sam Brown: Backing vocals and bass guitar
Andy Forman: Drums

To celebrate one amazing year of Hopes and Dreams, BTTB also released the Hopes and Dreams [Instrumentals] bonus album on July 19th 2020! Pick it up now on Bandcamp!

On January 30th 2021, Better Than The Book received its first compilation album feature on the Save The Ska Show fundraiser album by The Ska Show with Beefy; 64 tracks donated from ska bands around the world to help keep the show on the air! Pick up a copy from bandcamp and let's save this amazing ska show together!

On October 1st 2021 Better Than The Book & Jabun released a collaborative single 1314, the song Nick proposed to Eva with! Purchase the single on Bandcamp and read more on Patreon!

And she said yes btw!!!

Meanwhile on April 24th 2025, my twin Eamon (TallismanRogue) released the Sonic The Hedgehog X Better Than The Book - Endless Hopes and One-way Dreams Mashup EP to celebrate our 35th birthday! Love you so much, Mon!

And finally Better Than The Book has just released its 3rd full-length album Side Character In My Own Life on June 13th 2025! The first Single Plot Holes released on December 30th 2024 and was featured on BBC Introducing The South! The second single and title track released on March 28th and featured on the Ska Time show on Button Down Radio, The Warp Factor Radio Show, Tonic Ska Radio and Beefy's Ska Club in Australia (which also featured Plot Holes and the bonus track Hearts Racing Backwards)! The final pre-release single Bump In The Night released on May 23rd and was also featured on BBC Introducing The South, and the bonus track Hold Me Tight (Non-Acoustic) was also featured on the show on October 23rd! EVERY track on the main album as well as 3 out of 4 bonus tracks and the full album stream received Front Page Feature awards and have racked up a collective over 43,000 plays on the media site Newgrounds within the first 2 weeks of the album release! Read more on Patreon and grab the album on Bandcamp or on CD and Vinyl on elasticStage!

To celebrate a great first month since the launch, a bonus instrumental version of the album was released on July 23rd! Grab it on Bandcamp and read more on Patreon!

Following the huge success off the Hopes and Dreams and Side Character In My Own Life albums, Better Than The Book announces its debut live show: Ten Years On, with Special Guests Look What Happened & LUVD - Thursday 5th February 2026 @ The Hope & Ruin, Brighton, UK! Get your tickets here: https://www.fatsoma.com/e/q2ub5sxo/better-than-the-book-presents-ten-years-on-with-special-guests-look-what-happened-luvd And use the promo code "TENYEARSON" (ALL CAPS) for a £1 off your ticket (limited first come first serve)!

Get access to exclusive downloads, behinds the scenes peeks, the full Better Than The Book, Jabun, and Nick Standing discographies, covers, mashups, bonus tracks and more when you support BTTB and Nick's music on Patreon!

When Nick isn't working on Better Than The Book, he's either working on his ambient/electronic/experimental music project Jabun (which has just released the long overdue Apotheosis OST Video Game Soundtrack album on September 5th 2025! Pick it up on Bandcamp and read more on Patreon!) or tending to his audio production business JabunAudio. Since starting in 2013, JabunAudio has assisted countless musicians, game developers and animators around the globe, working on everything from music to UK broadcast television, and racking up over 40 million collective views on YouTube from his collaborative animation audio work alone.

Nick is always on the lookout for new animators, musicians and other creatives to work and collaborate with and spread his passion for making great sounding productions. Don't hesitate to drop him a line. He'd love to hear from you!

Contact Nick at JabunAudio Here

If you want to dive even deeper into Nick's musical journey, head over to Patreon for exclusive downloads, behind the scenes peeks and more, and enjoy the adventure from a front row seat as it unfolds!

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