VRSTY Cover Nate Smith’s “World on Fire”
VRSTY (pronounced "Varsity") make music as energetic and richly diverse as the city that spawned them. Assembled by band leader Joey Tyler, a Puerto Rican singer from New York City raised on R&B, pop, and Spanish music and equally inspired by metallic post-hardcore, VRSTY blends genres with fearless ambition and visceral enthusiasm. A handful of EPs preceded 2020's debut album, Welcome Home, itself followed by a three-part series of sequel EPs solidifying the band's reputation.
The band (comprised of guitarist Paul Gregory, bassist Javier Dorrejo, drummer Chris Cody, and Tyler) specializes in what Kerrang! described as "endless grooves and danceable parts, punctuated by breakdowns and completed with dark atmosphere." Meanwhile, "Massive,”"from 2020's Cloud City EP, remained the Most Played on SiriusXM's Octane for two consecutive weeks. In a 9/10 review, Outburn described Welcome Home as "effortless, fun, and above all genuine." Blabbermouth raved: "While other bands may have introduced the concept of genre-bending, VRSTY have refined it."
"The first time I heard this song, I was absolutely stuck. I haven't heard a song that's hit me this hard in a long time. Everything from the lyrics to the way that it's composed is just absolutely amazing to me. I think I knew instantly that I was going to cover it. My only fear was not being able to do the song justice.. but I think I did okay."
- says singer Joey Varela
VRSTY dropped its most recent album Levitate last fall via Spinefarm. Get it here.
