Album Review: State Champs - Kings of the New Age
Kings of the New Age is State Champs’ 4th studio album.
WORDS BY JAZMIN LEMUS
From the get-go, I have to be honest and confess that this is the first time I’ve listened to a State Champs record in its entirety. Some might react saying “WHAT”, but better late than never, I guess? Although, I have seen the band a couple of times at festivals or opening up for another band, I have never taken the time to actually listen to the pop punk quartet aside from the hits. One cool thing about music is that a song will hit people in different ways. It could be because of their age or their experience or where they come from. Due to the state of the world and what people have been through in the last couple of years, some fans may find it easy to apply some of the songs from Kings of the New Age to specific moments or parts of their life during this time period. From my interpretation, the 11-track album had messages tackling growth, mental health, and hanging onto a partner or friend.
The album starts off with “Here To Stay”. It’s not only the first song off the album, but it’s also the first song that offers a message of hope while dealing with the struggle, specifically the line, “Right then we were right there. The bright lights in the night air. We got there through the nightmare on our own, it’s safe to say we’re here to stay.” With the past two years being what they were and as we continue to get out of the struggle, people grew. Some figured out what their priorities were. Others may have stopped doing something that they didn’t realize was part of “nightmare”. Following “Here To Stay” is “Eventually”, another song that some may apply to their experience in the last two years. When looking at a line such as “I want to believe that everything will work out for the best, but honestly wishful thinking, what the fuck did I expect?”, one has to ask, how many times did we have similar thoughts in the last two years as we witnessed what was going on around the globe.
Kings of the New Age is a collaborative album that welcomed special guests. “Everybody But You” features Neck Deep’s very own Ben Barlow. A catchy tune that’s the pop punk anthem for anyone trying to move on from a relationship with the help of music and friends. Following “Everybody But You” is another pop punk banger titled “Outta My Head”. It’s the one song that describes the feeling of trying to move on, but having trouble doing so. “Fake It” is a head bopper that kind of reiterates to keep winging things or live by the phrase we all know, “fake it til you make it” because does anyone really ever know what they’re doing?
The second guest to make an appearance on the album is Against The Current’s Chrissy Costanza. She contributes her vocals on “Half Empty”. Both Derek DiScanio’s voice and her voice complement each other well in this jam. “Just Sound” reiterates the message of finding a way to make things work. Whether it’s in a romantic relationship, friendship, or with family, a lot of people over the last two years have had to find a way to stay in touch, especially when people couldn’t travel. For anyone that had that experience, this song may remind them of that situation with lines such as “No matter the time, the vibe or place, there’s no rules when we've got love. I feel the distance with no touch, it don’t mean shit when you mean so much. You’re not here, but it’s enough”. Following “Just Sound” is “Act Like That” featuring country pop artist, Mitchell Tenpenny. Whether one is with someone or not, the message is simple: do what you want if it makes you happy. “Where Were You” is another banger that will be relatable to people due to the past two years. With lines such as “Where were you when the world stopped turning? Was I a fool for ever thinking I could get you to stay?,” some fans might find themselves thinking about people in their life that they lost touch with due to distance or where they ended up finding themselves in life or simply because of the turmoil we have dealt with throughout this time period. “Sundress” features the last guest of the album, which happens to be Four Year Strong. To wrap up the album, is “Some Minds Don’t Change” and in my opinion, this song can be viewed from different points of views, which takes me back to the comment made earlier about how a song will hit people in different ways due to their experience or where they come from. One fan may hear this song and apply it to a current relationship or past relationship, where they gave it their all and it still wasn’t enough. With a line like “We were on to something great, but you had no patience to see what’s in store,” it tells the story of how one person can no longer hang on and has made up their mind that maybe it’s time to move on. Honestly, it may be the perfect song to close the album.
There are two ways that I chose to listen to this record: as a fan of pop punk and as someone who chose to analyze the lyrics after learning about the approach the band took with writing this record. Let’s be honest. While there are going to be a lot more albums released this year that were written prior or during Covid, it doesn’t mean that they’ll all hit people the same way. For anyone that lost something/someone, decided to move on from a place in their life, or did some growing, this album may sum up some of those experiences.
Kings of the New Age is out this Friday, May 13th via Pure Noise Records. To purchase a copy, you can do so HERE.