The New York City-based quartet VRSTY are starting the year head on, with their first full-length record for Spinefarm Records. The RnBcore outfit has been around since 2015 but managed to give their career a serious boost last year with their ‘Cloud City’ EP.
VRSTY‘s first release on Spinefarm Records, Welcome Home, sees them refining their sound, resulting in singles ‘Massive’ and ‘Shameless’ racking up over a million hits on Spotify. Showcasing enormous sound, coupled with Joey Varela’s impressive vocal range, VRSTY have turned heads and sparked plenty of interest in the industry. Now, just over a year later, it’s the time for their highly anticipated full-length and it has a lot to offer.
Similar to the opening on Cloud City, the opening track ‘Finesse’ blows the roof off the place. This loud and punchy banger showcases what the New York collective are all about. It’s a bold statement, both lyrically and musically. Following track ‘Soul’ continues on a high note; an incredibly varied track, it changes pace regularly. Starting off quite simply with an old rock and roll riff it evolves into a full-blown metalcore powerhouse. Joey’s everchanging vocals make the song fascinating and catchy as hell. ‘Closer’ and ‘Sick’ continue the agenda of roof kicking, both solid and catchy bangers. They’re somewhat formulaic tracks, but hit the spot nevertheless, providing yet another testimony of the band’s ability to produce all-round crowd-pleasers.
Welcome Home then hits a slightly gloomier and a more heartfelt note, as it approaches the midpoint. ‘Paranoid’ and ‘Never Again’ are somewhat simpler tracks that focus more on the lyrical part. They reflect on mental health challenges and demonstrate it’s not all about the noise for the quartet. Kicking off the second half ‘Welcome Home’ are initially stripped back to only vocals and guitar, showcasing Joey’s superb vocals. The breather is then over with the following ‘Love Sick’ hitting hard with its searing riffs. Through the next few tracks VRSTY dip more into their poppier side, only modestly sprinkling some of the metal heaviness they are capable of. This concluding section of the album is sadly not as captivating, with tracks failing to stand out. Signing off with the acoustic piano track, VRSTY wrap up the album on the gentle side, once again showcasing Joey’s beautiful stripped down vocals.
VRSTY’s latest full-length is hitting just the right buttons and solidifies a new beginning for the band. The quartet presents their signature combination of powerful and varied vocals, surrounded by the heavy aura of riffs and screams. The contrast here works well and allows VRSTY to comfortably set their feet through the doors of both alternative and mainstream worlds. It’s exciting to see the collective evolve and finally embrace their hybrid genre roots confidently. They have laid new foundations sonically and have definite potential to produce work that’s more unique and genre-bending in the years to come.