VRSTY Invite You to Experience “grief machine”

PHOTO CREDIT: Sarah Carmody

LISTEN TO “grief machine”

WATCH “grief machine” VIDEO

VRSTY INVITE YOU TO EXPERIENCE “GRIEF MACHINE” — WATCH

SUMMER TOUR WITH DED KICKS OFF THIS WEEKEND

They say that grief is essentially love with nowhere to go.

New York City-based collective VRSTY (pronounced “Varsity“), who are known for being fearless when it comes to experimenting with musical boundaries, effortlessly blurring, blending, and bending the lines between genres to craft their own unique brand of alt pop, hard rock, and R&B that doesn’t have a name but it’s DNA-distinct, and distinctly VRSTY, capture that feeling perfectly on their latest single “grief machine.”

The deceptively stark and simple video finds singer Joey Tyler attempting to share his experience with grief in all its forms. It’s as though he’s sharing the pages of his journal. Grief is often heavier than granite and the song serves as a beacon of light and hope for those battling through its many stages.

Watch it here.

“I don’t know what more there really is to say about this one,” the singer shares, laying his cards face up on the table. “It’s definitely the most personal and important song I’ve ever written. It started off as a song about my dog who passed and turned into me coming face-to-face with the fact that I never learned to grieve properly. During much of the loss I’ve experienced in my life, I would stonewall the entire thing… almost like it never happened. Writing this one sent me into a spiral — and still does whenever I listen to it. But I think this song came to me at a point in my life where I really needed it.”

Listeners will surely feel the same…

Check out the previously released VRSTY tracks from earlier this year:
“face down”
“ez2find”

VRSTY will hit the road with DED and Dropout Kings this weekend. All dates are below.

VRSTY ON TOUR:
WITH DED + DROPOUT KINGS:
7/11—Phoenix, AZ—The Rebel Lounge +
7/12 — Roswell, NM — The Liberty ^
7/13—Lubbock, TX—Jake’s
7/14—Oklahoma City, OK—89th St.
7/15—Lawrence, KS—The Bottleneck +
7/17—Mansfield, OH—Inkcarceration #
7/18—Cadott, WI—Rock Fest #
7/19—Minneapolis, MN—Studio B +
7/20—Joliet, IL—The Forge +
7/21 — Des Moines, IA — XBKX Live +
7/22—Iowa City, IA—Wildwood
7/23—Madison, WI—The Annex *
7/24—Westland, MI—The Token Lounge
7/25—Rochester, NY—Montage Music Hall +
7/26—Pittsburgh, PA—The Crafthouse
7/28—Clifton, NJ—Dingbatz
7/29—Boston, MA—Brighton Music Hall
7/30—Reading, PA—Reverb +
7/31 — Cleveland, OH — Mahalls ^
8/1—Lansing, MI—Rock Lansing Fest #
8/3—Sauget, IL—Pop’s
8/4—Wichita, KS—WAVE
8/6—Colorado Springs, CO—Black Sheep
8/7—Denver, CO—HQ
8/8—Grand Junction, CO—Mesa Theater
+ No Dropout Kings
* No VRSTY
# DED Only
^ VRSTY only

ABOUT VRSTY:
VRSTY make music as energetic and richly diverse as the city that spawned them. Assembled by band leader Joey Varela, a Puerto Rican singer from New York City raised on R&B, pop, and Spanish music and equally inspired by metallic post-hardcore, VRSTY blend genres with fearless ambition and visceral enthusiasm. A handful of EPs preceded 2020’s debut album, Welcome Home, itself followed by a three-part series of sequel EPs solidifying the band’s reputation.

VRSTY specialize in what Kerrang! described as “endless grooves and danceable parts, punctuated by breakdowns and completed with dark atmosphere.” Meanwhile, “Massive,” from 2020’s Cloud City EP, remained the Most Played on SiriusXM’s Octane for two consecutive weeks. In a 9/10 review, Outburn described Welcome Home as “effortless, fun, and above all genuine.” Blabbermouth raved, “While other bands may have introduced the concept of genre-bending, VRSTY have refined it.”

Levitate, the band’s sophomore set, was powered by spirited conviction and a commitment to follow their muse wherever it leads. Tyler co-produced Levitate with Justin Deblieck (Ice Nine Kills, Motionless In White, Lorna Shore, Fit For A King).

VRSTY have commanded the crowd anytime they perform, connecting with anyone who struggles with feelings of low self-worth, bad relationships, or generally feels like an outsider. It’s a feeling of shared community evident on the band’s tours with the likes of 10 Years, Nonpoint, Secrets, and For The Fallen Dreams, among others.

Ultimately, VRSTY aim to encourage, provoke, and inspire listeners in the next era of their career — with more music on the way in 2026.

VRSTY ONLINE: