Canadian pop-punk mainstays Chief State have announced their new full-length album, Keep Your Friends Closer, due out April 17 via Mutant League Records. Alongside the announcement, the band has released the album’s title track as a new single, complete with an accompanying music video.
The single follows the October release of “No Brakes” and offers a sharp, emotionally charged snapshot of what’s to come on Keep Your Friends Closer — a record that captures Chief State at their most urgent, melodic, and honest.
Keep Your Friends Closer was produced, engineered, and mixed by Tim Creviston (Spiritbox, Youth Fountain) and mastered by Stu McKillop (Midnight Peg, By A Thread) at Rain City Recorders. The album channels the band’s signature blend of high-energy pop-punk and introspective lyricism, balancing grit and vulnerability while pushing their sound forward.
The band shares:
“The album that very nearly didn’t happen! In 2023/24 we embarked on a game of musical chairs with band members. Such is life, friends move on and pursue other projects or choose to focus on a long neglected career. When Joe and I were the last two standing we were faced with the prospect of continuing or calling it a day, we did the one thing we know – wrote a song. All it takes is one song to get excited again, to convince your longest friend to rejoin, to persuade excellent musicians to join. Keep Your Friends Closer is the amalgamation of 10 years of grit and determination, it’s about getting back up when you’re knocked down, it’s the pursuit of a dream, it’s us, it’s Chief State. The album explores friendship, hardship, betrayal, love, anger, isolation – life. The fundamental lesson being that we should keep our loved ones closer, not just relate on the surface level but learn all there is to know about those we choose to spend time with. Letting true colours show, for better or for worse in the short term, will always be for the better in the long run. The writing process felt natural and effortless, crafting as true friends and brothers. When recording with our long term producer Tim Creviston, it felt like we were witnessing the full potential of Chief State coming together. Keep Your Friends Closer is our most authentic work to date, our most collaborative work to date and our best work to date! The album that very nearly didn’t happen, did happen and we can’t wait to share it with you.”- Fraser, Nik, Joseph, Bran, & James
Having spent years releasing acclaimed records, touring extensively across North America and beyond, and building a devoted global fanbase, Chief State continue to cement their place at the forefront of modern pop-punk. Keep Your Friends Closer finds the band louder, sharper, and hungrier than ever.
Chief State will also be supporting Wheatus at The Pearl in Vancouver on April 13th, where Wheatus will be performing their legendary self-titled debut album in full.
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