AR - Living Proof

State Champs is back at it again.

State Champs had a lot resting on this album since fans have been begging for new music from the Albany, New York natives for quite some time. The last full length album that Champs released came all the way back in 2015. "Around the World and Back" really helped State Champs rise to popularity with anthems like "Secrets" , "All You Are is History" and "Losing Myself". With that in mind, State Champs had a lot to live up to when they dropped "Living Proof".

Living Proof came out just in time for the summer, it was released in mid June. This album was just begging to be played with the windows down. And in my case, it most certainly was.

State Champs In-Store Performance (June 8th, 2018)

I was actually given the privilege of having the album in my hands almost a week before release because I got to attend one of their In-Store Album Releases. To promote the new album, Champs performed "Dead and Gone" and "Our Time to Go" acoustically, along with some of their older hits like "Slow Burn" , "If I'm Lucky" , "Elevated" and others.

The album starts off with "Criminal" and it picks up right where State Champs left off. It's almost like they didn't miss a beat...or have been gone for over three years. When lead singer Derek DiScanio yells "Its Criminal!" at the beginning of the track, I totally forgot how much I really missed hearing new music from State Champs. "Frozen" follows "Criminal" on the record and has a VERY catchy chorus, beware. It was just one of the many that I was singing at the top of my lungs this summer.

The third track on the album is "Crystal Ball", which is one of the three singles that have been released on this album to date. Personally, this is one of my favorites off of Living Proof. While the song may start out slow, once the build up to the chorus hits, it picks up fast and is a great jam. This song brings a lot to the table and is one of the most complete tracks off the record. Lead singer Derek DiScanio's vocal range is showcased numerous times on this track and proves exactly what he is capable of in terms of vocals.

"Dead and Gone" follows "Crystal Ball" and is another single off Living Proof. This was the track that State Champs released a few months before the album dropped in order to promote the upcoming album. Since we had this song early, it meant I had this song on repeat for quite awhile. This usually translates into me being bored with it by the time the actual album drops. Yet when June rolled around, I found myself not skipping over it. This is easily one of the "anthems" off Living Proof and is a song Champs will have in their setlists for many years to come.

"Lightning" appears as track number five and is hands down my favorite track off the record and arguably one of my favorites that State Champs have ever put out. On my first play through the album though, I thought it was one of the weaker tracks. It was when I went back through my second and third play throughs that I realized just how good this track was. Lyrics are always something that I look at and appreciate and this is where "Lightning" shines. Some of my favorites include: "Misreading every feeling" and "with you I'm reminded its real now". Don't forget the catchy chorus,"Who knew we were lightning? I saw a spark before we heard any sound. If you look my way instead, we could make this permanent, is there something waiting to be found?"

Track number six is "Our Time to Go" and is one of the most unique tracks off the album. This song is unlike anything that the Champs have ever written before. The song is much slower and isn't full of all things you get in a typical Champs song. This song proves just how talented they really are and proves that they can write more than just "pop punk tracks". The best way for me to describe this song is to make the analogy that what "In Bloom" is for Neck Deep , "Our Time to Go" is for State Champs. This track proved to me that State Champs can be more than just another Pop Punk band and it makes me curious to see how State Champs will write songs in the future.

What I didn't realize, nor expect, is that the vibe State Champs created with "Our Time to Go", sets up almost the rest of the album. "Something About You" , "The Fix Up","Cut Through the Static"and "Time Machine" which features Blink 182's very own Mark Hoppus, all fit in line with "Our Time to Go".

Speaking of Blink 182, I know that many of the criticisms in regards to this album lay with John Feldman. When looking through the credits, Feldman is mentioned on four of the tracks off this album. People have critiqued Feldman over the years because of his typical "na na na"style choruses. This could be seen in songs like "Dead and Gone" which left a sour taste for some listeners. For me personally though, I don't think that this effects the album in any way and it doesn't take away from how great it is.

For two of the last three songs, State Champs goes right back to its roots for "Mine is Gold" and then "Sidelines". "Mine is Gold" is the third and final single that comes from Living Proof and is another one of my favorites. The album comes to a close and ends on a high note in typical Champs fashion with "Sidelines". This cute little love song is a great way to end the album. The lyrics on this track are great which includes the cute chorus:

"Tell me what we're waiting for, are we holding out for something more? Here on the sidelines, we're out on our own time. There's nothing like a crowded room, to make me wanna up and leave with you, under the bright lights, still here on the sidelines"

When looking at this album as a whole, I think State Champs really honed in on what they have done well in the past. Which is catchy guitar riffs, crisp drums from the one and only Evan Ambrosio, sing along choruses and overall great lyrics. State Champs set the bar high when the released Around the World and Back and people expected another great album because of this. They certainly lived up to the hype...and then some. State Champs did an outstanding job of putting this album together in my opinion as well. They started this record with several typical Champs sounding songs and the progressed into tracks that you wouldn't necessarily think you would hear from them. This gives Champs fans exactly what they wanted, more "ARTWAB/The Finer Things" feeling songs while also proving that they can do even more. On Living Proof, I think its very safe to say that State Champs has perfected and defined their sound.

Warped Tour (July 26th, 2018)

This is a great album to tour on as well. At the Scranton Warped Tour date this summer, fans got to jam to "Dead and Gone" , "Frozen" and "Criminal". Fans were off their feet for these tracks and were exactly what you would want to hear at the final Warped Tour. State Champs even had the privilege of exposing this album to some brand new fans because they opened up several dates for Fall Out Boy this fall on their "Mania Tour". Looking towards the future, I am VERY excited to see State Champs tour this album on their headline "Living Proof Tour" in early 2019 with special guests Our Last Night, The Dangerous Summer and Philadelphia natives Grayscale.

As I mentioned, I think this album really brings State Champs to a whole new level and is a step in the right direction. I am very excited to see what is in store for them in 2019.

Overall: 8.5/10

You can listen to "Living Proof" here: