{"id":1624,"date":"2018-05-18T12:16:40","date_gmt":"2018-05-18T17:16:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=1624"},"modified":"2019-12-17T20:22:22","modified_gmt":"2019-12-18T01:22:22","slug":"review-varsity-baby-great-scott-0509","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2018\/05\/18\/review-varsity-baby-great-scott-0509\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Varsity, BABY! @ Great Scott 05\/09"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by Monica Sucic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Wednesday May 9, Chicago-based Varsity played Allston\u2019s Great Scott. The five-piece indie pop-rock group is made up of vocalist Steph Smith, Dylan Weschler on back-up vocals and guitar, guitarist Pat Stanton, Paul Stolz on bass, and Jake Stolz on drums. The group was formed in 2013, with their first single, \u201cTurns Out\/Downtown,\u201d out that same year. Recently, they\u2019ve been touring the US following the release of their sophomore album <\/span>Parallel Person. <\/span><\/i>Varsity\u2019s sound has often been described as a blend of indie pop and surf rock, and their music will entertain your ears with upbeat riffs and eloquent lyrics. For fans of the Walters and Tennis, Varsity will surely be your new favorite band. <\/span><\/p>\n

Parallel Person<\/span><\/i> is Varsity\u2019s most recent release, having come out at the end of this past April. The album has many songs that capture the band\u2019s classic surf rock-y sound, such as \u201cSettle Down,\u201d \u201cA Friend Named Paul,\u201d and \u201cLied for You.\u201d However, it also has some deeper, more emotional tracks like \u201cKrissy,\u201d \u201cWatching You,\u201d and \u201cDiscipline.\u201d \u201cMust Be Nice\u201d shows a bit of variety on the album, still being upbeat but with slightly darker chords and unique bridges. Overall, the album showcases Smith\u2019s beautiful vocals and the musical dexterity of the whole group. It builds on the strong foundation of their 2015 self-titled album and proves that they\u2019re able to try new tactics while still maintaining their individual sound. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Opening for the night was local band BABY!, whose sound blended well with Varsity\u2019s. Vocalist and guitarist Kaley Honeycutt expressed her fondness for Varsity before her amazing set. Honeycutt played songs off the album <\/span>Sunny, F.L.<\/span><\/i>, paying homage to her origin state of Florida. With a sound akin to Diet Cig and other rising indie rock artists, BABY! is a Boston group you\u2019ll want to keep your eyes on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Varsity kicked off their set with \u201cAlone in My Principles,\u201d the final track off <\/span>Parallel Person<\/span><\/i>. They continued with two other songs from the new album, \u201cA Friend Named Paul\u201d and \u201cMust Be Nice.\u201d The music video for the latter song was animated by Shane Beam. Smith stated that they gave him a simple story line and told him to run with it, and the music video came out even better than she expected. The video involves swirling images of deer and people in swimsuits, similar to those on the cover of <\/span>Parallel Person<\/span><\/i>, and has a beautiful color palette. <\/span><\/p>\n

They followed with their most popular song, \u201cSo Sad, So Sad,\u201d which has over five million streams on Spotify. Upon first listen, the song captivates the listener with soothing chords and Smith\u2019s smooth vocals. It builds into a powerful chorus and later swells to an omnipotent crescendo as Smith belts \u201c<\/span>I could never walk away, walk away \/ I could never make you stay.<\/span><\/i>\u201d The song is overall impressive and emotional, and the whole group brought those powerful emotions to the stage. However, Varsity had some lighthearted moments on stage as well. Smith introduced \u201cGordi, You\u2019re a Saint\u201d with a story about the unique way she was paid for dog-sitting, which the song is based on. The band also had a quick aside about clam chowder with the audience, to which Stanton asked the crowd \u201cThat\u2019s a thing here, right?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The group continued with \u201cKrissy,\u201d where Smith delivered another powerful performance and caused the whole room to be still. They finished off with the indie-bops \u201cStill Apart,\u201d \u201cLied for You,\u201d and \u201cAmanda\u201d from their 2016 singles, <\/span>Parallel Person<\/span><\/i>, and their first album respectively.\u00a0\u201cStill Apart\u201d had the whole audience dancing, even if they were just nodding their heads. These feel-good tracks were the perfect way to end the show and left the crowd wanting more.<\/span><\/p>\n

This was Varsity\u2019s second time playing Great Scott, and they noted their love for the venue as they left the stage and thanked the audience. Hopefully, the band will return to Boston soon because they\u2019re an unforgettable group with great talent. <\/span><\/p>\n

Varsity\u2019s second album, <\/span>Parallel Person<\/span><\/i>, is out now on Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music. <\/span><\/p>\n

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-Monica Sucic<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n