Ten years. Yep — it’s officially been a decade since State Champs dropped Around the World and Back, and honestly… how? Released on October 16, 2015, it’s the kind of record that still feels fresh, even though we’ve all somehow grown up around it.
Back then, pop-punk was having a full-blown renaissance. Warped Tour was still alive, Tumblr bios were still angsty, and State Champs were the new kids proving they could hang with the heavy hitters. They’d already made noise with The Finer Things, but Around the World and Back was the moment they truly levelled up — tighter, louder, and full of that “we’ve arrived” energy.
From the second Eyes Open kicks in, you know you’re in for something special. Then Secrets hits — arguably the anthem of their career. That chorus still feels like a punch of adrenaline: “I’ve got more secrets than you’ll ever know!” It’s catchy, it’s cathartic, and it perfectly sums up what State Champs do best — turning raw emotion into something you can scream at the top of your lungs with a grin on your face.
But this album wasn’t just big choruses and pit-ready riffs. It had depth. All You Are Is History still stings in all the right ways, Breaking Ground carries that relentless drive, and the title track — a soft, heartfelt duet with
Jule Vera — added a warmth and vulnerability that few pop-punk bands were bold enough to show at the time. It was the kind of song that made you stop jumping and just listen.
And people did listen. The album hit #30 on the Billboard 200 and cracked the top three on both the Alternative and Rock charts — huge for a band that was still basically living on the road. It cemented State Champs as one of the tightest, most consistent acts in modern pop-punk. By the time they were touring the record, it wasn’t just fans showing up — it was crowds. Big ones.
Listening now, Around the World and Back still feels like a snapshot of what made that mid-2010s pop-punk wave so special: honest lyrics, hooks for days, and that unstoppable energy that made every show feel like home. Whether it was soundtracking heartbreaks, late-night drives, or friendships that started in the pit, this album was part of the story.
So yeah — ten years on, we might be a little older, a little less emo, maybe even slightly better at using sunscreen… but Around the World and Back still hits exactly the same. Here’s to the record that reminded us pop-punk could be polished and passionate — and to the band that proved they were never just passing through!
