New York City-based collective VRSTY have unveiled a video for their latest single Massive, a straight-talking track from their recently released EP Cloud City. Described by vocalist Joey Varela as the moment when he decided he was “gonna do whatever it took to break through”, we caught up to discuss the song’s theme, behind the scenes stories and more.
Can you give us your quick elevator pitch on this track? Why does this one standout for you as a band?
Massive to me always stood out from the moment we wrote it. It felt nice to be able to say all of the things I’ve always wanted to say and not be told to dial myself back, or even to soften up the instruments because we’re a “singing band”.
How did you tackle the writing process for the song? Was there anything unique about this track compared to your usual/previous approach?
TBH my approach is pretty much always the same. Wake up, coffee, play random riffs and sing over them lol. The difference with this one came from our producer (Andrew Baylis) helping glue the parts of the song together better.
Can you tell us how the song’s theme came about?
I’ve pretty much always felt like nobody took me seriously throughout my life. Even in the music industry I’ve met people who have 100% looked at me as just another singer or a clone of whoever was popular at that moment. One day I just woke up and stopped caring. I decided I was gonna do whatever it took to break through and that’s how the theme of the song came about.
Tell us about the video, do the themes of the single transfer to the video?
I think the video is perfect for the theme of the song. It’s just us in a room, playing, performing and having fun like it’s always been.
Do you have any behind the scenes stories from the video shoot?
Well idk if this is behind the scenes, but this song has two completely different music videos atm lol. We shot one then decided to shoot another and pick our favourite.
Anything else you’d like to add for our readers?
Yeah, if you’ve ever listened to my band or left a comment on a video, be it good or bad, we appreciate you. Thank you for checking us out and giving us an opportunity to be ourselves while doing what we love.
VRSTY‘s new EP Cloud City is out now via Spinefarm Records, available to stream or purchase HERE.
