INTRODUCING: State Of You
It is always a sad time when a band decides to call it a day, even though they leave a legacy behind, the thought of not being able to hear any new material or witness them live again can be a bitter pill to swallow. Rising from the remnants of OUTCRY COLLECTIVE, HILDAMAY, TESSA JONES, SEASONAL and POLAR comes STATE OF YOU, a group who are poised to set the UK scene alight.
They say some things happen in the most unexpected of circumstances but frontman Steve Sitkowski enlightened us to just how random this union was. “This band literally came about when I got caught speeding! I went to the speed awareness course and I saw Tom who used to play for YOUNG GUNS, we got chatting and went for a drink after and we suggested jamming. I knew Nick [Drummer] was interested in doing some drumming and we weren’t sure whether it would actually happen or not but it all kind of kicked off from there. We jammed with Tom a few times but he had his own stuff going on, Ollie, one of our guitarists, was playing bass and we were just messing around a bit. He came up with all these great ideas and we were like ‘you need to be playing guitar!’. I really wanted to keep it as a four-piece and keep it simple, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE are my favourite band and I wanted to go with that approach. The other guys insisted on a second guitarist and I’m so pleased we did. Max is fantastic for bringing all the melodies and elevates the songs so much. I don’t even know which one is the lead guitarist as they both mix and match. Everyone is really accomplished and knows what they’re doing and we’re very proud of that”.
Combining the frenetic energy of EVERY TIME I DIE, the raucous riffing of HE IS LEGEND with relatable lyrics akin to BEARTOOTH, STATE OF YOU should not be underestimated. They are experienced, battle-hardened and more determined than ever. “The thing that is so cool about this band for me is that this is our second run at it,” explains Steve. “We’ve all been here and done this before and been around the block a few times and so now we really want to make sure we’re appreciating everything. As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned not to hate on something just because you maybe don’t like it as much as someone else. A lot of effort and hard work is put into any kind of art and as long as you get what you want out of something and enjoy it, it doesn’t matter if someone else doesn’t get it. It feels like right now that the heavy scene is more inclusive than it has ever been. I don’t know whether it is a post-COVID thing or what but when I was growing up it was almost like you had to prove yourself to wear a leather jacket. I feel like there is more of a sense of community and less fear of expressing themselves. We all have our own shit and are all a little fucked up and it’s good to see everyone coming together and hanging out.”
Their self-titled EP is hot off the press and is 19 minutes of high intensity which is ensured to get your adrenaline flowing. Whilst it may look like buoyant, party music on the surface there are also a copious amount of personal sentiments hidden within its chapters. “It’s just a good time,” declares Steve. “Some people get their shit out of their system by doing kickboxing or going to the gym or something. With me, it’s screaming and there is some personal shit in there man, like my personal demons. But at the same time we don’t want to take ourselves too seriously so there are still a lot of fun bits in there too. We came together right before the pandemic and sent files to each other, working on it as we went along and when we recorded we had to wear masks as it was still around that time when you weren’t allowed to mingle. We’re pretty prolific writers too, we’ve got 50 potential songs in the works, not just riffs! We had so much time to do something productive and it’s been a crazy journey. In the early demos I had a lot of clean singing in there. The screaming was a bit more restrained. Nick came to me and said ‘fuck that dude, you’re great at screaming. Just be proud and embrace it’. I’m just about to start with a vocal coach as I don’t really know how I do what I’m doing and I want to get better. For future material, I want to have clean singing, brutal lows, high screams and just have as much diversity as possible. I feel like with heavy music it is easy to get your fill really quickly and it can lose its impact if you don’t add variety. On this EP I worked really hard on making sure everything I’m saying and communicating can be heard.”
Whilst STATE OF YOU are excited about what the future may hold they are staying humble and adopting a ‘what will be will be’ mentality. Their existing experience in the industry should set them in good stead for whatever may be around the corner. “This band will either take off or it won’t,” admits Steve. “I’m very, very proud of what we’ve achieved. You never know which way things are going to go, this next time year everything could have spread like wildfire. We’re all that bit older now and we can stay grounded and know how to deal with certain situations. Our EP release show is coming up and we want to be a fighting, shooting, killing machine by that point. I really want people to come down, scream along with me and have a good time. I know this is hard to believe coming from a frontman of a band but I’m not after any kind of attention. I don’t think I’ve got a big ego or anything like that but I do love how it feels to scream and vent. I’ve had life kick me in the teeth in so many different ways that it doesn’t really phase me anymore if something doesn’t go my way.”
“My grandfather was at a prisoner of war camp and he managed to escape to England and he was just like ‘you’ve got water, you’ve got food, you’ve got a roof over your head, you’ll be fine’. If you strip things down and look at the world and feel genuinely grateful for the things you have you can feel extremely rich. I really try to move forward with the knowledge that tomorrow isn’t promised, try not to let the small shit bother you and don’t compare yourself to others as no good can come of that. You never know what someone else is going through. Try to be a good person and hope that the way you treat people, with kindness and respect sort of ripples forward. I saw a video on Instagram and there was a guy in the audience that got on stage and just started kicking people in the head. I’m a dad now and all I can think about is how fragile life is. I get that people, especially young men have all this pent up angst and they went to let off some steam but hurting people isn’t the way forward. Pits get rough and it’s all part of the show but if someone falls down, you pick them up and look after each other.”
State Of You is out now via Silent Cult Recordings.
Like STATE OF YOU on Facebook.