Pop punk torchbearers State Champs released their new record, Living Proof, today on Pure Noise Records / Sony Music Australia.
BUY LIVING PROOF HERE
“We are so proud and excited to release Living Proof . We poured all our hearts into this record & dedicated all our time and energy into creating something that resonates with us. We are ready to share it with the world and play these songs for you all summer on Warped Tour,” says singer Derek DiScanio.
State Champs have released several videos for tracks from the new album, including Dead And Gone, Our Time To Go, Mine Is Gold and Crystal Ball. State Champs will headline the final Vans Warped Tour this year.
Watch the new music video for Our Time To Go here:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh0rYcubu04&w=560&h=315]
“It was like, let’s take as many swings at it, try as many new things and experiment, until we get to the point where we could start searching through it all and then find the album,” says DiScanio of the writing process. After touring for Around The World And Back wrapped, the band returned to Albany, headed back into the garage, and started writing songs for what would become the framework for Living Proof. Getting back to their roots paid dividends, as the band had a new batch of songs ready, and once they linked up with the album’s producers, they wrote even more.
Living Proof was recorded in two different sessions with different teams assisting the band. The first session saw John Feldmann producing, who brought his knack for writing hit records—which he’s done for bands like Blink-182 and Good Charlotte—into the fold. But State Champs wouldn’t let their old-school roots die, teaming up with Mike Green and Kyle Black, the pair that shepherded Around The World And Back across the finish line. “If there was only one chance we had at beating the sound of Around The World And Back, we still had to have them involved,” said DiScanio. With the recording process split in two, it allowed State Champs to write and record more songs than ever before, culling it down to the most potent batch possible. “At the end of the writing and recording process, we had 19 or 20 songs. We looked at each other like, ‘Holy shit. What the hell? This has never happened before,’” he said.
This chance encounter speaks to what’s at the heart of Living Proof, and that’s DiScanio’s embrace of the things you can’t prepare for. “Living Proof has a lot to do with independence, and finding the independence within you, embracing the mixed emotions that fall in your lap a lot of the time,” said DiScanio, noting that the album’s title is taken from the song “Cut Through The Static,” where he proclaims, “Let’s cut through the static and be the living proof.” On an album full of go-for-broke moments, State Champs pushed themselves to new heights without ever forgetting where they came from.
