HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Around The World And Back – State Champs

Following the success of their debut album The Finer Things, the spotlight was on STATE CHAMPS to see how they would follow it up. Poised as one of the new faces of the bustling pop-punk scene of the mid 2010s, STATE CHAMPS had something to prove with Around The World And Back, and 10 years later, it still stands as a crucial album for the band’s position in the world of pop-punk.

As its title alludes to, the album was written largely on the road, with the success of their debut album The Finer Things propelling their touring career. In the February of 2015 the band took to the studio to record the album, and within 38 days had completed the process. They announced the album on March 17th 2015, also releasing the album’s artwork, tracklist, and lead single Secrets to streaming. This announcement followed their run supporting 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER on their arena tour across Australia and New Zealand. STATE CHAMPS then embarked on a tour across the US during July and August, releasing Losing Myself as another single on streaming in the August. On September 1st 2015, All You Are Is History was released alongside a music video, and on September 29th the album’s title track was released to streaming. 

On October 16th 2015, STATE CHAMPS released Around The World And Back through Pure Noise Records, and the album was met with largely positive views. Alt Press praised the band for having “quietly expanded their taut brand of hooky pop punk on their sophomore album while offering nods to their heroes.” Across the board the band were also hailed as some of the frontrunners in the contemporary pop punks scene, with this album solidifying that position. 

The album peaked at number 30 on the US Billboard chart, and number 3 on the US Alternative and Top Rock charts. STATE CHAMPS also went on to receive nominations for Album and Song Of The Year with Secrets at the 2016 Alt Press Awards. The following year, the music video for Losing Myself won for Music Video Of the Year. 

Following the release of the album, STATE CHAMPS returned to life on the road, supporting THE WONDER YEARS in the US that autumn. In the February of 2016 they embarked on a co-headline tour of the UK alongside Wrexham pop-punk heavyweights NECK DEEP, who had also recently released their highly successful album Life’s Not Out To Get You. This tour highlighted the two bands as the biggest names emerging in pop-punk of the 2010’s with their respective albums defining what that sound now was. 

After more US tours in 2016 with the likes of A DAY TO REMEMBER and SLEEPING WITH SIRENS, various festival appearances including Warped Tour and Reading And Leeds, and their own US headline tour in the spring of 2017, STATE CHAMPS still had more to offer for Around The World And Back. In May 2017, a deluxe version of the album was released with two new songs, two live recordings and a DVD. 

Around the album’s 10 year anniversary, in October 2025, the band announced that they would be heading on tour in 2026 to celebrate the album. The band wrote on the announcement “When we wrote this record, we were just kids still living at home. Now, we’re dads, husbands, and have homes of our own. This record laid the groundwork for all of our future success and we will be forever grateful to it. And to you, the listener. Thank you so very much for providing us this life.”  

Around The World And Back tipped STATE CHAMPS into the forefront of pop-punk bands in the 2010s. They had been building buzz with their debut, but with the pop sensibilities of their hook writing blended with the edge beneath each track, STATE CHAMPS were able to offer a progression of their sound on Around The World And Back. This is a sound that carries strong to this day, with tracks like Secrets being staples in their live sets, and deeper cuts like Slow Burn remaining fan favourites. 10 years since its release, Around The World And Back is a crucial album for STATE CHAMPS and the landscape of pop-punk in the mid 2010s.

Around The World And Back was originally released on October 16th, 2015, via Pure Noise Records. 

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