State Champs Perform Live in Silver Spring
BY ANNA PORCELLAFour-piece pop punk band State Champs have mastered exactly what makes a good State Champs record - it was only fitting that their latest record would be a self-titled album. Released in November, State Champs balances catchy pop melodies and their signature pop punk instrumentals in a manner that celebrates the nature of the band and its history, polishing their lyricism and production while staying true to their sound. In celebration of the new record, the band embarked on a tour across the US, kicking off the same night the album was released. As typical for a State Champs tour, the bill was stacked with support from women-led alt-rock bands Daisy Grenade and Meet Me @ The Altar, and fellow pop punk icons Knuckle Puck.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, the band stated their intentions for the album were to “make a fun record where it shows how much we’re connected, it shows how much we love each other and how much we want to be doing this.” The members, consisting of Derek DiScanio on vocals, Tyler Szalkowski on guitar, Ryan Scott Graham on bass, and Evan Ambrosio on drums, easily translate this sentiment to their live shows; each member is visibly engaged with the crowd and the music, their energy contagious and smiles spreading across the room. Starting off with “Silver Cloud,” the lead single from the new album, the set kicks off at high energy, the packed setlist barely slowing down (aside from the sole acoustic number of the set, “If I’m Lucky”). With a knack for catchy hooks and choruses meant to scream along to, State Champs puts on live shows equally as fun as their music - such as “Clueless,” which could fit in onto any 2000’s rom-com soundtrack. While the easy-listening fun tracks such as “Clueless” are always enjoyable, State Champs has also shown their maturity in songwriting with tracks like “Too Late to Say,” led by DiScanio’s - who is arguably one of the best vocalists in the scene - heartfelt delivery about lost love.
State Champs recently celebrated the ten year anniversary of their debut album, The Finer Things, and they continue to prove why the band has worked so well for so long. Rather than trying to fit into a mold they don’t work with, State Champs continues to put forth work that is truly themselves.
