TIME AND PLACE

FROZEN IN PURGATORY, STATE CHAMPS TOOK A STEP BACK AND DIALLED INTO EXACTLY WHAT THEY LOVE ABOUT THEIR BAND. THE RESULT IS THEIR MOST COMPLETE ALBUM YET.

- MADDY HOWELL

In life we're often told to go big or go home, and in 2018 State Champs certainly heeded that advice. Putting their third album out into the world, 'Living Proof' saw the New York poppunkers taking a more mature approach, working with new songwriters and bigname producers unlike ever before. Bold, polished, and fresh, the record kickstarted a huge year for State Champs, heading out on the final Warped Tour and playing some of their biggest stages to date, but as the now-four-piece reconvened on the other end, they realised that something was missing.

"Living Proof' was a reset for us," starts bassist Ryan Scott Graham.

"After that cycle we started seeking out the reasons why we formed this band in the first place and what was fun for us. It was important for us not to overthink it, so we decided to just be us, and accept that whatever comes out is a State Champs record. Maybe that's what people fell in love with in the first place." Finishing up their touring cycle at the tail end of 2019, as 2020 rolled around State Champs were already sitting down to define their next era. As the pandemic ground their upcoming plans to a halt, Derek and Ryan sat down with their bandmates Tyler Szalkowski [guitar] and Evan Ambrosio [drums], to knuckle down into what would become their longest album process yet.

"We needed to go back to our roots to make sure that we were writing songs that felt near and dear to us. Songs that we're proud of, we're excited about, and want to listen to ourselves," recalls frontman Derek DiScanio.

"That was hugely impacted by not being able to tour, because that's all we knew. Having so much time at home, the emotions started to pour out when we put pen to paper. Things looked so bleak, but there was a sense of hope, and whilst putting together these songs, we were looking forward to the future."