I don’t know how many bands can be called Junior Varsity. According to Google, a few, including an emo band founded in 2002. “Junior Varsity” is a term used in university sports, especially in the United States, so it makes sense that a young North American group would use it, although not be especially original.
This is the case of this other band called Junior Varsity that emerged a few years ago. Junior Varsity, a group founded in 2019, has been making itself known in concert halls in the United States since that year. In fact, the trio formed by Greg Varteresian, Zach Michel and singer Brooke Danaher signed with Warner Music then without having published a single song. Among her followers on Instagram is Chappell Roan.
Also in 2019, Junior Varsity appeared in the mainstream media for vandalizing the Hollywood sign by drawing a cow on the first O of the word. The same day, the group released their first single, ‘Cold Blood’. The guitars of ‘Cold Blood’ – with a Californian feel – have ended up defining the sound of Junior Varsity.
Junior Varsity’s songs give off that university freshness of emo, college rock and grunge of bygone eras. Their mix of guitars and synthesizers is noticeable on the single ‘Cross the Street’ – which contains cheerleader chants – and the wall of sound of ‘New York’. It is also evident in the single that has been taken from Junior Varsity’s new EP, released these days.
That chorus “I want to give you my heart” from ‘Give My Heart’ couldn’t be more emo, nor could its mix of guitars and synthesizers. This time, a lo-fi programmed base forms the basis of the song, while electric guitar plucks blend into it. Let’s say that ‘Give My Heart’ is already more Postal Service than Death Cab for Cutie. It is part of Junior Varsity’s new EP, ‘My Star’, a preview of an upcoming LP that could arrive in 2025?
