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Canadian pop-punks Chief State have unleashed their new single and music video “DAMN!,” the final preview of their upcoming sophomore album Keep Your Friends Closer, arriving April 17 via Mutant League Records. Fast, punchy, and packed with the band’s signature melodic urgency, the track captures Chief State stepping confidently into a bold new chapter.

“DAMN!” holds special significance for the band, marking the first song written collaboratively with Chief State’s current lineup. Rather than piecing songs together from individual demos, the band approached the track as a full-group writing session from the ground up — a process that helped redefine the band’s chemistry and creative direction.

“‘DAMN!’ was the first song we wrote together with the new lineup. It was also the first time we had ever gotten into a room to write a song from scratch as a unit,” says vocalist Fraser Simpson. “Previously we would write songs individually and then edit parts together from there. The process felt extremely creative — everybody got to contribute and the final song really represents what Chief State is going forward.

We even managed to sneak in an obscure lyric. On the day we were talking about a local company called Mr Mattress because they have a sick logo and merch. We challenged ourselves to fit in the word ‘mattress’ and I think we've managed to pull it off pretty seamlessly to be honest! We couldn't be happier to be sharing this final single before the drop of our sophomore album, ‘Keep Your Friends Closer.’ This is our best body of work to date and we can't wait for everyone to hear the rest of the album!”

Produced, engineered, and mixed by Tim Creviston (Spiritbox, Youth Fountain) and mastered by Stu McKillop at Rain City Recorders, Keep Your Friends Closer finds Chief State leaning into a more collaborative and fully realized sound.