Los Angeles Band Junior Varsity Drop Thrilling Self-Titled Debut EP
Genre-obliterating Los Angeles duo Junior Varsity arrive with their thrilling self-titled debut EP on Warner Records. The EP underscores the band’s unruly stance, which they showed to all of L.A. this April when they draped a giant cow-head banner over the “O” on the iconic Hollywood sign.
The same day Junior Varsity released their debut single “Cold Blood.“ That standout track, shows off a diverse sound, darting from blown-out guitars to blissed-out chants as Varteresian sings about another brush with the law — getting tased at a traffic stop. “It’s the most I felt in a long time, and I kind of liked it,” he admits. That about sums up JV’s ethos: They want to feel something, by any means necessary.
Tension is pushed and pulled throughout the EP as they mash-up brutal riffs, languid raps, and dizzy electronic synths. All the while, Varteresian transforms his swirling thoughts into a tangled mix of mantras: “Love, I need love,” he repeats on hypnotic track “Weather,” featuring Spill Tab. While the songs on Junior Varsity were conceived around the band’s formation in early 2019, they sound vital even today. Maybe it’s because the duo has given them time to simmer.
“The initial creative impulse was to make high-energy, guitar-driven alternative rock while blending elements from other genres like hip-hop and electronic music. As the EP came together, the freedom and fun of blending inspiration from different sources became a central focus.”
Junior Varsity follows the duo’s recent pair of evocative videos for “Cold Blood” and “Weather.” But even before releasing any proper songs, Varteresian and Michel were already racking up Instagram followers and packing venues on both coasts, creating a buzz that resulted in a Zane Lowe co-sign and press support from FADER, Ones To Watch, and Pigeons & Planes. With Junior Varsity, they’ve rendered all that internet noise and cathartic magic of their live shows into six songs that invite listeners to experience some much-needed release, especially during these times.