State Champs

Hailing from Albany, New York, the pop-punk outfit State Champs has drawn listeners in with material that fuses exuberance and inner turmoil through robust vocal harmonies alongside layered guitar textures. Their sound emphasizes driving momentum and memorable melodies, anchored by tight, exacting musicianship and the fervent delivery of frontman Derek Discanio. The group established the template for this approach via their first album, The Finer Things, issued in 2013, while later efforts such as Living Proof in 2018 and the self-titled 2024 release broadened their reach.

The band formed in 2010, shaping a rapid, emotionally charged style rooted in the work of genre touchstones including Fall Out Boy, the Story So Far, and New Found Glory. Centered on Discanio’s piercing vocals, the initial roster featured lead guitarist Tyler Szalkowski, rhythm guitarist Dave Fogarty, bassist William Goodermote, and drummer Matt Croteau. They promptly put out a demo, the EP 2010, which received an expanded reissue the next year under the title Apparently I'm Nothing. In 2012 Fogarty and Croteau departed, replaced by rhythm guitarist Tony Diaz and drummer Evan Ambrosio.

Pure Noise Records signed State Champs, whose inaugural output for the imprint was the Overslept EP at the close of 2012. Following tours alongside Citizen, Hit the Lights, and A Loss for Words, among others, former New Found Glory guitarist Steve Klein joined Sam Pura to produce the band’s debut full-length, The Finer Things, which appeared in 2013. An acoustic reinterpretation, The Acoustic Things EP, followed in late 2014. By the time that release emerged, William Goodermote had exited, with Ryan Scott Graham stepping in on bass.

Their second album, Around the World and Back, arrived in October 2015 and marked a notable breakthrough, peaking at number 30 on Billboard’s Top 200 while paving the way for two years of intensive road work. A deluxe edition containing a DVD and additional tracks surfaced in early 2017. Living Proof, their third studio album, came out in 2018 and featured the single “Dead and Gone,” placing inside the Top 30 on the Billboard 200. In August 2020 the group issued the six-song EP Unplugged, comprising four new acoustic performances plus pared-down versions of “Criminal” and “Dead & Gone.” The release found State Champs operating as a quartet following rhythm guitarist Tony Diaz’s departure.

The remaining members continued as a four-piece, with touring musician Cameron Hurley assuming Diaz’s stage role. Returning to the studio, they completed their fourth album, Kings of the New Age, released in 2022. Extensive touring followed, encompassing separate runs with Blackbear, Save Face, Boys Like Girls, and additional acts. After posting various studio footage, State Champs unveiled their self-titled fifth album in November 2024.