With a band name like State Champs, you unknowingly set a precedent for yourself and your music for the future and the present. And it should come as no surprise, to anyone that has listened to State Champs before, that their latest release Living Proof lives up to their claim to be the champs.

Formed in Albany, New York, in 2010, State Champs have put out 3 EPs before making their full-length debut with The Finer Things (2013). Early on in their careers, the self proclaimed champs came out swinging for the fences as their debut hit No. 2 on the Billboard Heatseekers charts. Yet another EP would follow their debut until their sophomore attempt, Around the World and Back (2015), which debuted at No. 30 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart.

State Champs had seemingly taken over the Pop Punk music scene and staying true to the title of their second full-length the band has spent the last 3 years going around the world and back; touring constantly in support of bands like New Found Glory, A Day To Remember, All Time Low, Motion City Soundtrack, Bayside, and Neck Deep; as well as taking on multiple massive headlining world tours and even a summer on the Vans Warped Tour. Just thinking about the past three years for this band makes me exhausted.

With their third full-length, Living Proof, the 13-song album is a truly complete attempt at a fresh and mature take on the pop punk sound they’ve built their empire on. The album comes 3 years after Around the World and Back and some would question what took so long; “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 vocalist Derek DiScanio of the writing process. And while State Champs -- Derek DiScanio (Vocals), Tyler Szalkowski and Tony Diaz (Guitars), Ryan Scott Graham (Bass), and Evan Ambrosio (Drums) -- were the masterminds behind this collection of songs, they received some help from some notable producers and musicians to really complete this project. The album was actually produced in multiple sessions. John Feldmann (Blink-182, Good Charlotte) helped them with the initial beginnings of the album. For the second round of the album, they brought back Mike Green and Kyle Black who guided and put together Around the World and Back; so it was only fitting that they help on this new album. Not only did they bring in the help of these amazing pop-punk geniuses, but they also found some co-writing from Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low and Mark Hoppus of Blink-182. Having Hoppus involved in this record was completely unplanned and very much a surprise for the whole band, when he showed up at Feldmann’s studio during their recording there.

So the album has an A-team of musicians and producers behind it and it’s following up one of the most noteworthy pop punk albums of the last 5 years; so how does Living Proof stack up?

Claim your title boys, the champs are here to stay.

Living Proof starts off 0-100 in 15 seconds, with the track “Criminal”. With a very pop-esque hook there is still a pop-punk to the bone feel, and you can really see just how much this band has progressed and matured since their last album. You’ll catch yourself toe-tapping and bobbing your head in public with songs “Frozen”, “Mine Is Gold”, and the first single “Dead and Gone”.

They dive a little bit deeper into the emotion of relationships and love, and take the tempo down a bit with more ballad like songs “The Fix up” and “Our Time To Go”. Another one of these songs is “Time Machine” which actually features some co-writing credits and guest vocals from Mark Hoppus.

Ultimately, this is a fine addition to any pop-punk fans collection and will most likely be favorite album of the year for many fans. I know that I’ll be picking up a copy tomorrow.

If you love Blink-182 and the catchy pop punk side of A Day To Remember, State Champs is a 100% must add to your playlists and daily listening! With stand-out tracks like “Mine Is Gold” and “Frozen”, Living Proof is a fitting title for an album that is living proof of the talent and ability these five gentleman have. 10 out of 10 album, do recommend, must own. Another great release from Pure Noise Records

Living Proof releases TOMORROW, June 15, anywhere music is sold. State Champs will be celebrating the premiere of Living Proof with a pop up, tomorrow (Friday June 15) in Los Angeles. It’s ALL AGES and FREE. 4PM-10PM. RSVP HERE

PURCHASE LIVING PROOF NOW

You can also catch State Champs all summer long on the final cross-country Vans Warped Tour, June 21 through August 5.