Chicago, IL’s Varsity recently announced their upcoming full-length, Fine Forever, due out May 29th from Run For Cover Records, and today the band are sharing the album’s second single “Reason To Run” and its accompanying video. The new song follows lead single “Runaway” (which drew early attention from the likes of NPR, MTV News, Uproxx, and more) and offers a preview of the kind of effortless indie pop confection that Varsity excels at.
Fine Forever is Varsity‘s most eclectic album to date, demonstrating the band’s adventurous spirit and ability to make the most of every corner of catchy guitar-driven music, with “Reason To Run” leaning into their jangly power pop side. The song’s instantly memorable leads and a layered vocal performance from singer/keyboardist Stef Smith make it an immediate album standout.
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Varsity discussed the new song saying, “‘Reason to Run’ was the final song that we wrote for the record. It was actually written after the other tracks were recorded but we didn’t want to wait to put it out on a different release. We recorded it quickly at Decade studios while we were supposed to be mixing! The song serves as a response to ‘Runaway,’ written from the other person’s perspective. While in ‘Runaway’ the protagonist is pleading with someone to stay here we have someone who’s made up their mind to leave the situation they’re in and cut all ties. The video itself was recorded while we were in quarantine, self-shot by each member and the compiled and filmed by our friends at Weird Life Films – the video builds on the idea of being trapped and needing to get out.”
Made up of Smith, guitarists Dylan Weschler and Patrick Stanton, bassist Paul Stolz, and drummer Jake Stolz, Varsity teamed with producer Ben Lumsdaine (Kevin Krauter, EZTV, Amy O) to make Fine Forever, setting out to leave their musical comfort zones behind. From melody-laden pop gems, to bombastic throwback dance songs, to sprawling instrumental explorations, the album spans genres and sounds while maintaining an impressive sense of cohesion and accessibility. Throughout the album Smith observational lyricism reads like a deeply human short story collection, digging into what it means to be a person in our ever-changing modern world. The result is a guitar pop record in the truest sense, with equal emphasis on both musicianship and hooks, and marking an exciting new chapter for Varsity.