State Champs: Pop Punks Play It (Mostly) Safe On Album Number Five

ALBUM REVIEW | STATE CHAMPS – STATE CHAMPS by Craig Harston

It’s safe to say that State Champs have never topped their debut album, 2013’s ‘The Finer Things’. The Albany pop punks burst onto the scene alongside bands like Neck Deep, The Wonder Years and Real Friends, reviving the genre somewhat after the scene took a bit of a dip in the late 2000’s with the new crop of bands being more akin to ‘boy bands with guitars’ (All Time Low, You Me At Six, Boys Like Girls), once again bringing a voice to disaffected teens and social outcasts. ‘The Finer Things’ was an immensely strong debut but frustratingly, State Champs have never quite found the sense of urgency found on that album again. 2015’s ‘Around The World And Back’ leaned more towards a pop sound and while 2022’s ‘Kings Of The New Age‘ was a slight return to their earlier, punkier, sound, self titled ‘State Champs’ thankfully manages to balance the pop and punk pretty well.

‘Clueless’ is a pure pop punk song about pursuing someone who’s oblivious to our feelings (we’ve all been there!), with a great guitar riff throughout. ‘I Still Want To’ is an immensely catchy song with a chorus that is sure to go down well in a live setting, while ‘Too Late To Say’ is a sonic blast of punky pop and ‘Save Face Story’ sees the band embracing their inner Beastie Boys in it’s closing moments, featuring a beefy guitar riff and shouty vocals.

While it’s far from a concept album, many of the songs featured have a shared theme of nostalgia coupled with facing the future. Latest single ‘Light Blue’ is all about reminiscing, with it’s soaring guitars and crunchy choruses, bringing up memories you might not have thought about in a long time, while ‘Just A Dream’ takes a similar tack, talking about simpler times when we weren’t trapped inside our own heads (“Living in my brain now, I can claw my way out, feel the pressure coming”) and comes with a superfast pop punk riff on it’s second chorus. Album closer ‘Golden Years’ has it’s focus on how our feelings towards earlier times can change and it might be time to look to the future (“Because now it takes everything in me, I’m putting the past upon the shelf and falling in love with something else”), leaving things on a hopeful note.

Overall, it’s a solid if fairly uninspired entry from the Albany band – it’s not bad but doesn’t really stand out compared to the rest of State Champs discography.

‘State Champs‘ releases on 8 October via Pure Noise Records and is available to purchase here (and comes with a free CD copy of the acoustic Unplugged if you’re quick enough!).

State Champs are due to tour the UK in early 2025 with tickets on sale now.

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Craig Harston

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