So it all made me think, ‘What am I even gonna do if this were to stop? Am I just gonna hit rock bottom?’ That was a tough time, for sure.” I just thought I was gonna be a rock star forever ( laughs), and that’s only as realistic as the work you put into it and the luck that comes around it. I’m in the gym now and I’m taking vocal lessons, and I didn’t realise how much better it’d make my mental state and my body feel. I started realising, ‘Oh, this thing changes if you don’t take care of it…’ so I had to make necessary lifestyle changes. Also, I’m getting older – I'm approaching 30 and never really took care of my voice. I thought, ‘Man, I don’t know if I’m ever gonna have this career again…’ and it puts you in this weird, dark place. “I've always been an optimistic, happy-go-lucky guy, but in the past year with everything that’s happened, it’s the first time I’ve had mental and physical challenges. You’ve said the record is a “reminder that we’re only here for so long” and to “never waste a moment that can be seized” – is that a mindset you’ve always had? Or did the difficult past couple of years bring it on? So we didn’t wanna take ourselves seriously this time around we wanted to have fun and let loose, and show a bit of immaturity and rule-breaking. To love this youthful, nostalgic music that we make. We’ve been a band for over 10 years now, which seems crazy, because we’re still a pop-punk band we’re not getting any younger but we had to find a way to come back and love what we do. So we went back to our roots and reminded ourselves of why we do this.
“Yeah, this is our fourth album and I feel like every band – and we’ve been guilty of this with our second and our third records – says, ‘Oh this album’s way more mature…’ Literally, it’s what everybody fucking says ( laughs).
We caught up with Derek to talk feeling old as heck, songs about phone sex, and why confidence is key…ĭerek! From the three singles we’ve heard so far, the new album is feeling pretty nostalgic…
“It’s giving a lot of exposure to new and young fans that have never heard of bands like us,” elaborates the singer, “and this album is us saying: ‘Hey, we’ve been doing this for a long time, and we’re fucking good at it – maybe the best at it! – so you need to check this shit out if you like that stuff.’”Īnd there’s plenty for prospective listeners to enjoy before the album drops on May 13 (with a UK tour commencing May 8), in the form of Outta My Head, Just Sound and brand-new single Everybody But You featuring Ben Barlow.
“Pop culture is changing and music is changing,” explains State Champs frontman Derek DiScanio of the pop-punk and emo revival in the charts this past year, thanks to artists such as Machine Gun Kelly and WILLOW, plus the literal Spotify Song Of The Summer ( Olivia Rodrigo’s Good 4 U) being inspired by a Paramore track.Īnd, as one of the most authentic and well-respected bands in pop-punk, the upstate New Yorkers are ready to use this mainstream sonic shift to their advantage, with a little help from fourth record, Kings Of The New Age.