''This band does pop-punk a step ahead of the curve.'' --PunkNews.Org4/5 As the familiar feedback of ''Elevated'' creeps into its explosive main course, State Champs give you no chance but to wake up and smell the pop-punk. It smells great, baked nearly to perfection by the guiding hands of producer Steve Klein of New Found Glory and engineer Sam Pura (the Story So Far, the American Scene), who prove to be a dynamic duo. Wiry frontman Derek Discanio is a bona fide overachiever, lacing his notes with enough resilient Upstate New York 'tude to keep you in tune. His showy ownership of a pause-break in ''Deadly Conversation'' elevates him to diva status. While ''The Finer Things'' may be fashionably late for this summer, it ll sure as hell hold you over to the next one. --AltPress.com8/10 State Champs decided to come and release one of the best debut pop-punk albums in recent memory, appropriately titled The ''Finer Things''. While State Champs showed some extreme promise with last year s EP, ''Overslept'', it s safe to say this record quite exceeds expectations. In fact, it blows them out of the water. Not only is the chorus on opener ''Elevated'' one of the most memorable of any track on the record, the entire track hangs out in a city of hooks and one-liners. It s the perfect indication of what is to follow. ''Deadly Conversation'' starts off with an acoustic piece but before you have time to say ''what the hell we just got started,'' guitars take over and the track picks right back up where the opener left off. The track highlights the skill of dual guitarists Tyler Szalkowski and Tony Diaz mixed with drummer Evan Ambrosio. The structure of the track also demonstrates the show of the band as a cohesive units the chorus is guitar driven but at one point all the instruments cut as frontman Derek Discanio snarls, ''I was perfectly lonely.'' In just three minutes, State Champs manage to highlight each member of the band, something most pop-punk bands just don t achieve.  Bassist William Goodermote guides our ears into ''Before To Be Noticed'' before the meaty bass line flirts with the guitars and tempo-setting drums. The musical chemistry between the crew continues throughout the entire track, while the ''Simple Existence'' has all ears on Discanio as he repeats, ''I m coming for you,'' with the track switching back and forth from upbeat to a more gritty palm mute focused jam. ''Nothing's Wrong'' works similarly, this time having Discanio drill the line ''We ve been here before'' drilled into your brain before a bass-fueled chorus build up.  The already heard ''Remedy'' and ''Critical'' fit perfectly here, with the newly recorded versions sounding considerably more crisp than the originals. The former s chorus features the best vocal performance on the record, and the latter proves how effective Discanio s vocal range really is. He hits you with a right hook with the chorus of ''I won't let this life get so critical'' and then swings back with the left on the equally enticing line of ''I m like a boy lost in a the city / Not wanting to be found.'' As the record nears the end with the album standout and penultimate ''Critical,'' the fact that this is debut record sinks in, and it becomes clear how much potential this band has. On the closing ''Easy Enough,'' the words I just want to be more than a memory make an on again, off again appearance. Based on State Champs performance throughout ''The Finer Things'', I think it s safe to say the exact opposite will happen. True to its name, this record is one of the finest debut pop-punk records of the last five years and easily among the top tier for the genre this year. --AbsolutePunk.net