State Champs: Around The World And Back

Artist: State Champs
Title: Around The World And Back
Format Reviewed: MP3
Format Released: 16th October 2015
Reviewed By: Jamie Kerr

What a year 2015 has been for pop-punk releases. As pop-punk fans we have been treated to some truly brilliant releases. I won't list some of the blinders that have been put out so far this year but the latest offering from State Champs has to be up there as one of the most anticipated. The New York based five piece have been a firm favourite since their debut release The Finer Things, and with the release of a couple of tracks earlier in the year, it was hard to imagine that Around The World And Back could be anything less than sublime.

It's clear from opener Eyes Closed that the band are aiming to make a big push into mainstream airtime. It's certainly more sugar-coated than anything they have put out before, with a similar radio-friendly sound to that of All Time Low, post So Wrong It's Right.

I called out second track Secrets as being the best pop-punk single of the year a few months back: when I first heard it I had it on repeat all day long. Not often does one song grip me this much but I still stand by my original statement, best pop-punk song of the year and I still love it every bit as much now that the rest of the album has been released. It also went down a storm on their recent tour, showing I may not be alone in making this claim.

Losing Myself is another hugely accessible tune, following a more melodic route giving the pumping guitar riffs a rest. It also gives you a chance to see how vocalist Derek DiScanio's vocal range has developed.

Their second single release All You Are Is History is very reminiscent of The Finer Things with its high tempo. You could be fooled into thinking that this was a bonus track on a deluxe edition of their debut, although this is by no means a bad thing.

Perfect Score is another example of their mainstream push. One of the weaker songs of the album upon first listen, largely down to its chilled tempo but it may well be a grower on repeat listens.

Following track All Or Nothing takes a similar approach, full of melody and exhibiting a more mature sound. It is another weak point for me though: I've become accustomed to their hard-hitting sound and sense that it may take a bit of getting used to anything other than this.

Shape Up is a welcome return to form with big guitar parts and a far more upbeat dynamic. It's also one of the shorter tracks at less than three minutes, feeling more like an album filler rather than trying to be an anthem as per previous tracks. The same could be said of Back and Forth, failing to leave any impact and is probably best skipped.

As with all great pop-punk bands, you need to have a stand out acoustic offering and album title track is certainly that. Neck Deep dropped a stormer with December recently and State Champs have dropped one of their own. It's far more polished than December but it's a massive tune, with DiScanio teaming up with Jule Vera's Ansley Newman for some lovely vocal harmonies. It's every bit an acoustic classic as Remembering Sunday was for All Time Low and one that demands repeat listens.

Moving towards the tail end of the record, Breaking Ground is far less upbeat than what has come before it, but it does show just how much their songwriting has grown in maturity. Album closer Tooth And Nail is a nice bouncy end and shows that they haven't lost the ability to write a classic State Champs song.

It's fair to say that Around The World And Back has enough about it to help State Champs take a big leap towards the big time. It's a far more accessible record to the masses than what their peers have released, with the addition of orchestrations and some sugar-coating. Whilst it is a fantastic follow up album with some absolute belters, the sugar-coating is the biggest criticism for me. I called out State Champs as being the next All Time Low and it seems that with ATWAB they have paved the way for this to happen. It doesn't consist of hit after hit quite like I was hoping, but does show their maturity and intention to gain global success. So for now, let's enjoy them at their current level before the inevitable happens.