New York City-based collective VRSTY (pronounced "Varsity") are fearless when it comes to experimenting with musical boundaries — effortlessly blurring, blending, and bending the lines between genres to craft their own unique brand of alt pop, hard rock, and R&B. It doesn't have a name but it's DNA-distinct, and distinctly VRSTY.
Today, they share the new single "face down." Listen to the chill yet thumping track with a massive breakdown, below.
"This was the last song we wrote for the record and the first that everybody fell in love with," says Joey Tyler. "Oddly enough, this was also the quickest song we wrote. We did it in about an hour but sometimes those songs just hit harder. There's something special about just naturally vibing with a song and it all coming together on its own. At its core, this song is also just the most relatable to me. It's about two people who simply cannot figure it out but chose to stay regardless — because why not?"
It follows the funky, '80s-inspired jam "ez2find," featuring The Home Team's Brian Butcher and Issues' Skyler Accord. Check out the groove-driven track here. It's quite the bop — it's the closest thing you'll find to a rock 'n' roll dancefloor jam! The song resonated greatly with the band's following on social media, gathering in excess of 530,000 views across creators. Check them out here, here, here, and here.
Tyler says, "I wrote this song about feeling like every show I've ever played is a one-night stand. You get one chance to impress people and make them love you enough to want to keep talking about you and keep them coming back. It's a wild feeling. This was also my first time working with Skyler Accord (Issues) and Brian Butcher (The Home Team). They both made it such a smooth and fun experience."
Smooth, indeed. The song is powered by old school R&B rhythms with a modern flair and Tyler's buttery smooth vocals. When he sings the chorus, "I'll be easy to find // Catch me running through your mind," it'll take up real estate in your brain long after the final note has faded out.
VRSTY will hit the road with DED and Dropout Kings this summer. All dates are below.
VRSTY ON TOUR:
WITH DED + DROPOUT KINGS:
7/11—Phoenix, AZ—The Rebel Lounge +
7/12 — Roswell, NM — The Liberty ^
7/13—Lubbock, TX—Jake’s
7/14—Oklahoma City, OK—89th St.
7/15—Lawrence, KS—The Bottleneck +
7/17—Mansfield, OH—Inkcarceration #
7/18—Cadott, WI—Rock Fest #
7/19—Minneapolis, MN—Studio B +
7/20—Joliet, IL—The Forge +
7/21 — Des Moines, IA — XBKX Live +
7/22—Iowa City, IA—Wildwood
7/23—Madison, WI—The Annex *
7/24—Westland, MI—The Token Lounge
7/25—Rochester, NY—Montage Music Hall +
7/26—Pittsburgh, PA—The Crafthouse
7/28—Clifton, NJ—Dingbatz
7/29—Boston, MA—Brighton Music Hall
7/30—Reading, PA—Reverb +
7/31 — Cleveland, OH — Mahalls ^
8/1—Lansing, MI—Rock Lansing Fest #
8/3—Sauget, IL—Pop’s
8/4—Wichita, KS—WAVE
8/6—Colorado Springs, CO—Black Sheep
8/7—Denver, CO—HQ
8/8—Grand Junction, CO—Mesa Theater
+ No Dropout Kings
* No VRSTY
# DED Only
^ VRSTY only
ABOUT VRSTY:
VRSTY make music as energetic and richly diverse as the city that spawned them. Assembled by band leader Joey Varela, a Puerto Rican singer from New York City raised on R&B, pop, and Spanish music and equally inspired by metallic post-hardcore, VRSTY blend 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.
VRSTY specialize 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."
Levitate, the band's sophomore set, was powered by spirited conviction and a commitment to follow their muse wherever it leads. Tyler co-produced Levitate with Justin Deblieck (Ice Nine Kills, Motionless In White, Lorna Shore, Fit For A King).
VRSTY have commanded the crowd anytime they perform, connecting with anyone who struggles with feelings of low self-worth, bad relationships, or generally feels like an outsider. It’s a feeling of shared community evident on the band's tours with the likes of 10 Years, Nonpoint, Secrets, and For The Fallen Dreams, among others.
Ultimately, VRSTY aim to encourage, provoke, and inspire listeners in the next era of their career — with more music on the way in 2026.
