For Stateside, clarity comes from facing things head-on. Their debut full-length, “Where You Found Me”, released two weeks ago on Pure Noise Records, doesn’t shy away from emotional heaviness, it leans into it. The California band lets themes like longing, guilt, and distance shape the album’s core, giving them as much presence as the guitars & choruses they sit beneath.
This is a record made of aftermaths, the kind that don’t come with clean endings. It’s about the moments that linger, that follow you into your day, into your bedroom, into your next relationship. Through songs like “Stay Sweet” and “Aly’s Song,” Stateside reckons with emotional proximity and emotional restraint, asking: What do we owe to those we’ve lost touch with? How do we carry the people we can’t talk to anymore? And where does clarity actually begin?
In this conversation, the band reflects on writing the record, what it means to be “found” in the first place, and how their creative instincts evolved as they stepped into their first full-length release. The Polaroids that accompany this interview were taken after a show in New York, right after grabbing Taco Bell and just before catching the train. I had one pack of film left so we had no second chances, that unrepeatable quality feels like the right backdrop for this conversation, an honest snapshot of where things were, right before they moved on.
Your debut album "Where You Found Me" has been described as “a culmination of all of the experiences and emotions, both negative and positive, that the band have been through”. Can you share some of the key experiences and sacrifices that inspired this record, and how they shaped its overall narrative?
Erik - The emotional context of the record is framed within sidelining careers we’d gone to school and dedicated time for, putting personal relationships on hold, juxtaposed with the unique experience of touring as much as possible. Sacrificing the ‘normal life’ for the uphill battle of growing a band from nothing to something.
The lead single “Stay Sweet (feat. Knuckle Puck)” explores the theme of “losing that feeling of being invincible”. What personal moments or stories led you to write this song? How did the collaboration with Joe Taylor of Knuckle Puck come about, and how did his input influence the track?
Lemus - Stay Sweet is informed by the first time someone showed me The Smashing Pumpkins, and thinking back to the context of life at that moment. How easy and simple things were back then (and childhood in general), compared to the adult troubles of now. When we tracked the vocals for the outro, we all thought it would make a great feature. We were talking about how we could hear Joe’s voice over it, so we asked and he was down! He tracked his part and sent it over, it was all pretty simple thankfully.
The album title “Where You Found Me” is intriguing and suggests a sense of place or self-discovery. What does this title mean to you personally, and how does it tie together the themes and emotions of the album? Do you see the album as more about being discovered or rediscovering yourself?
Alex - I felt like I was missing life events of my friends and family to tour and do this band. I felt like I was letting my friends down by just not being around to experience these important moments, because I wanted to ‘follow my dreams’ in music. The line “leave me where you found me” has a more negative, self-deprecating vibe, but “where you found me” became a positive take on it. Referencing how the life I chose is somewhere in between.
If someone only had time to listen to one song on "Where You Found Me", which would you choose and why? What do you think that song reveals about where you’re at right now?
Ben - Aly’s Song for sure. Both thematically and sonically, it nicely sums up some of the key points from across the record. “So Close, So Far” could be seen as a subtitle for the whole album really.
Now that you’re launching a full-length debut with Pure Noise Records, what are your goals for Stateside’s future? Are there new themes, sounds, or collaborations you’re eager to explore in the future? What do you want fans to remember most about Where You Found Me as you look ahead to the next chapter of your career?
Erik - Where You Found Me feels like a solid foundation for us to jump off on to bigger things, and I hope that people remember it that way. We honestly don’t really have specific sonic plans other than making more songs true to what we’re feeling and what we’re about.
Now that the album is out in the world, has your relationship to it changed? Do any songs feel heavier, or lighter, now that people are singing them back to you?
Erik - It’s always interesting to see other people’s takes and interpretations on the songs. Aly’s Song feels more impactful now for sure, people have been connecting specifically with that track. There was one guy at the New York show who was screaming the lyrics back, he was really into the moment and it was apparent they were impactful to him. Those moments always feel validating for us.
If this album is a snapshot of who you were in this moment, what do you think will surprise you about it when you look back in ten years?
Erik - I’m curious about if the stresses and worries in our lives that went into this record will seem insignificant 10 years down the line. It’s obviously expected for the viewpoint to change with age and time, but some experiences of being in a band are just universal.
In recording this album, what did you learn about your own creative instincts, either as an individual or as a collective? Did anything about the process surprise you or challenge your assumptions?
Erik - My instincts are to play it safe and do things that are already comfortable. Working on this LP definitely pushed us to experiment and expand.
Alex - I was anxious about how writing was going to go, since this was my first record with Stateside. Fortunately, the songs came together smoothly and naturally.
Ben - I’m pretty surprised on the final tracklist that made the record. We came in with about 15 demos in varying stages of completion, but most of them were upbeat rock songs. I wasn’t expecting the slower, more emo jams to make the record but I’m happy with how everything came out. I think we needed some of that to open our heads to influences we wouldn’t normally include on Stateside songs.
In regard to Aly’s song, the opening lyrics are “I take your picture where I go / And every night you call my phone when you’re feeling so alone.” There’s something fragile about that gesture, preserving someone’s presence through a photo, trying to bridge distance. What emotional weight did that image carry for you? Was it an act of care, of holding on, or something closer to guilt?
Lemus - In my old wallet I kept a ton of photos with friends and people I care about. Like 10 years worth of photo booth strips. That’s just a way I would keep people with me when I was far from home. The line is referring to that, but also the irony in the way I have their photos with me but I’m still getting calls from those people. I’m the one missing from the equation.
“All the words that I had said, and were they ever meant?” There’s a quiet unraveling in that line, a questioning of your own sincerity, or maybe your ability to communicate at all. Were there things left unsaid in real life that found their way into this song? Did writing it feel like a confrontation with how you’ve used, or misused, your voice?
Lemus - Yes questioning sincerity is correct - realizing I’m making promises I can’t keep. It’s reflection of asking myself, do I actually intend to follow through with these, or is it just easy because I’m thousands of miles and weeks away?