12/11/2024
State Champs self titled Review:
Where the hell do I start with this? Funnily enough I’ve had the album on preview since the 28th of October (nearly 2 weeks early) and every time I’ve sat down to write about it I’ve found myself getting way too into it and forgetting to write anything. These guys simply do not miss and this album is no exception!
From 16 seconds into The Constant I knew I would love this album, produced by Anton DeLost, and it truly lives up to being a self titled album. This is the collection of songs that I would play to someone who hadn’t heard of State Champs and I would bet my house that they’d be a fan at the end of it (but I think just the first three songs would convert anyone).
Pop punk is a genre that some people claim is too archetypal, however I invite them to listen to Champs because each song has its own personality. I found myself loving something different on each song with a highlight being the lead line at the end of Clueless which perfectly frames the song.
This album slaps so hard that I had a black eye by the end of it.
This is a record where you can tell that every member is at their best, however I could say that about everything they’ve ever released at this point. To be 14 years in and still putting out something that sounds so fresh is a massive achievement. By their fifth record I find that some bands get too comfortable and put out some songs that are good but don’t push their sound to another level, State Champs is not that band and they somehow keep raising the standard on every record with this being a huge leap forwards. As someone in a band hearing this I feel inspired by the blend of songwriting and production to go out and do something myself.
The band have been playing their debut album The Finer Things in full at festivals over the summer and I can’t help but think that this is the album that will necessitate a similar treatment in 2034, I know I’ll have a ticket!
Verdict: 11/10, gave me a warm fuzzy feeling inside and more energy than a quadruple espresso.
