State Champs - The Finer Things

Vinyl LP pressing. Albany, New York-based pop-punk band State Champs started out back in 2010, basing their quick-paced and emotive sound on the influence of masters of the genre like Fall Out Boy, the Story So Far, and New Found Glory. Based around singer Derek Discanio's wailing vocals, the band was filled out by guitarists Tyler Szalkowski and Tony Diaz, bassist William Goodermote, and drummer Evan Ambrosio. After a demo circulated, the band released the buzzy Overslept EP in late 2012, and followed it up with their timeless pop punk full-length debut The Finer Things in 2013. Produced by New Found Glory's Steven Klein and engineered by Sam Pura, "The album marked a stepping stone for the pop-punk prodigies, proving they had what it took to stick around and raise the bar for a genre that had been in dire need of a refresh for a long, long time" (Altpress).