Typically, when an artist chooses to name an album after themselves, they are communicating something – that this is their most definitive work, the release with which they most identify. In the case of State Champs, the album released 14 years into their career remains true to the unshakable identity established in their early music, while expressing a reluctance to do anything else.

In a collective statement, the band described the record as the epitome of all of State Champs’ discography, and that’s true. The tracks on the new album may be related to their first EP in 2010 or their last album, 2022’s “Kings of the New Age”. There’s something to be said for consistency, but by and large, their mature pop-punk combined with an aversion to risk leans more into the safety of pop territory than punk.

A good example of this is the first song, “The Constant”, which is all pounding drums, sultry guitars and punctuating tambourines; This launches into an energy that is carried throughout the record. The instrumentals are sharp, but the lyrics are superficial. “Do you think I’m worth it/I’m being kept in the dark/While you got what you wanted,” sings frontman Derek DeScanio.

He proclaims a similar thesis five songs in on “Too Late to Say” over drum-heavy production: “When a good thing’s coming/I turn away instead/I’m getting good at ignoring it.”

The influence of iconic bands of the genre like All Time Low and Blink-182 is heard throughout. The lyrics are generic and universal, avoiding any real controversy. Even the profanity is carefully placed to be impactful and non-threatening – even more reserved than what you’ll find on an Olivia Rodrigo record.

Throughout the album, State Champs grapples with self-doubt. It takes some form. On “Just a Dream” and closer “Golden Years”, the band is stuck on the past, and unsure about the future. “‘Cause now it takes everything in me/Put the past aside/And fall in love with something else,” DeScanio sings on the latter track.

But there are also standouts like the palm-muted power chords of “Clueless”, the driving bass of “Light Blue” and the explosive, lovelorn contemplation and gang vocals of “Save Face Story”. They’re not re-inventing the wheel here, but in those moments, their ritual works.

Overall, State Champion’s eponymous album toes comfortably along the lines of pop-punk, choosing familiarity over experimentation. It makes for a predictable but enjoyable album, evoking images of a suburban house party or practicing tricks at the skatepark.

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