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Chief State joins OurSpace with Matt Vettese to talk about their new album Keep Your Friends Closer, why the record sat finished for nearly two years before release, how becoming a fully collaborative band changed their sound, and why making music in your 30s feels completely different than it did in your 20s.
The Vancouver pop punk band dives into the writing process behind Keep Your Friends Closer, their favorite songs from the album, finally getting to perform the record live, and why they’re already writing new music despite just releasing the album.
We also talk about growing older in the scene, finding joy in making music again, influences ranging from The Story So Far to Rise Against (and even Barenaked Ladies), touring plans, and some incredible Canadian bands you should be listening to.
Timestamps
00:00 Why making music in your 30s feels different
00:22 Introduction
03:22 Meet Chief State & Keep Your Friends Closer
03:43 Finally releasing an album that sat for almost two years
05:36 Did waiting change how they felt about the record?
05:59 The hardest part about waiting to release new music
06:44 Writing the next album before this one even came out
08:49 Why the band feels more excited than ever
09:09 What being in a band in your 30s really feels like
11:14 Letting go of pressure and rediscovering the love of music
14:43 How this album’s songwriting process completely changed
16:31 Why Keep Your Friends Closer sounds different from previous records
17:50 The band’s biggest musical influences on this album
20:35 Favorite songs from the new record
24:13 The story behind the album title Keep Your Friends Closer
27:17 Which songs they couldn’t wait for fans to hear
29:48 Playing the entire album live for the first time
32:14 Touring plans & what’s next for Chief State
33:26 Already working on new music
35:32 Which Chief State song should new fans hear first?
37:03 Canadian bands you need to check out
39:05 Final thoughts
If you’re into The Story So Far, Knuckle Puck, Youth Fountain, Like Pacific, Calling All Captains, Belmont, Rise Against, Four Year Strong, or modern melodic pop punk, you’ll definitely want to check out Chief State.
