New York City-based collective VRSTY (pronounced “Varsity“) — Joey Varela [vocals], Javy Dorrejo [bass], Chris Cody [drums], and Paul Gregory [guitar] — have shared the video for “Hush.” Watch it here.
The song lives on VRSTY’s new album Welcome Home, out now via Spinefarm.
“‘Hush’ is definitely one of my favorite songs on the entire record,” says Varela. “It’s also one of the most different songs simply because it’s more uplifting and fun rather than dark and moody —my usual mood! Writing this song was incredibly therapeutic for me yet also super scary. Because it was so different, I wasn’t sure if anybody was gonna like it. However, when Welcome Home dropped, it ended up becoming a fan favorite. I just hope it makes people feel the way it made me feel when I first wrote it.”
Welcome Home is the band’s debut full length for the label and follows last year’s breakthrough Cloud City EP, which has accumulated six million streams in less than a year and yielded the head-turning singles “Shameless” and “Massive.” The latter was the most played on SiriusXM’s Octane for two weeks in a row in late 2020. VRSTY has perfected their seamless and fearless cross-pollination of metallic grooves and R&B-influenced, after midnight vocal swagger on this 14-track offering. VRSTY aren’t just offering their own take on a genre; they have authored a fusion style that is entirely their own.
“Welcome Home is an incredibly personal album to me,” Varela shares. “I know everybody says that, and hey, maybe they’re not lying when they do. I sure as hell am not. It was definitely a task, at first, trying to figure out how to phrase or sing something without getting too personal. But somewhere along the way, I threw that idea out the window and decided to say exactly what I felt. You won’t find me trying to sound cool or using any fancy wordplay. It’s just me in my rawest form, saying exactly what I’ve felt or experienced over the years, which is what has made me who I am today. I think if anybody ever wants to get to know me, this record will give you everything you need to know. No secrets. Just me.”
WELCOME HOME TRACK LISTING:
“Finesse” (Feat. Notions)
“Soul“
“Closer“
“Sick“
“Paranoid”
“Never Again”
“We, Always”
“Welcome Home”
“Love Sick”
“Hush”
“King of Pop”
“Gravity”
“Only Sad”
“11 a.m.”
