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Souvenirs

by VARSITY

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    Includes high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. Paying supporters also get unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app.
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  • T-Shirt/Shirt

    A short sleeve t-shirt featuring the artwork of our 2023 single series. Printed on an ocean colored "colorblast" Comfort Colors t shirt. Designed by Sunroom. hellosunroom.com
    ships out within 7 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $25 USD or more 

     

  • Poster/Print + Digital Album

    11x17 Risograph poster for the 2/17/24 "Souvenirs" album release show with No Star. 4-color risograph print on 65 lb cream card stock. Slight variations in registration and opacity expected :)

    Designed and printed at Sunroom.
    hellosunroom.com

    Includes unlimited streaming of Souvenirs via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    edition of 90 
    Purchasable with gift card

      $15 USD or more 

     

  • Long Sleeve "Keepsakes" T-Shirt
    T-Shirt/Shirt

    A long sleeve t shirt featuring the artwork of our 2023 single series. Printed on sand colored Gildan Ultra Cotton shirts. Designed by Sunroom. hellosunroom.com

    Sold Out

1.
Bits I’m done with skits And every little part i played Running late or Running away Walking Sometimes we lay Overthrown, On Little couch Little days they mean so much right now And we're back to ourselves What’s the point of being alone You’re the rock that holds the window Open on a warm day Find Soft yellow light Sorry it’s not all the time I like to go swimming in your ultramarine eyes I think i can keep this up Cause I have the body and constitution For your love Daisy chain my Wrist to yours I don’t care if you open a book I don’t care if you close the tab I don’t care if you have the money For a girl like — that Oooh I don’t care if you show up late I don’t care that you drive too fast I bet we couldn’t bet we couldn’t bet we couldn’t do it again What's the point in being alone?
2.
You have a talent For turning around Break it up and take me apart Just to put me back down I’m gonna take it the wrong way Better the wrong way I’m gonna make my own mistakes And take it the wrong way Words you are saying Can’t hold a light You don’t even care if you’re wrong Just as long as you’re right It’s like a magnet to another twisted knife Just throw it all away and turn your back to reconcile If I saw you through a restaurant window that would ruin my night I’m gonna take it the wrong way Better the wrong way I’m gonna make my own mistakes And take it the wrong way I was a punchline in the past I’ll never beg for scraps again And are you mad at me Cause I ran out of sympathy And I learned it the hard way I learned it the hard way Take it the wrong way
3.
With the lights down low After the afterglow Just a whistling wind in our ears Memory is past We relive the aftermath I leave my to-do list in the sand So when the day is long Take care to carry on Even deserts bloom, even water's piled up Reference point Referencing my own thankfully anonymous thoughts Hated on days like these A haiku, archery, and a drawing of flowers Reference point Rеferencing my own shamefully еponymous thoughts Written on years like rocks Collected by days on the beach Sushi, the late nights, and the wasting of hours Is it real? Is it fake? Is it all just a phase? And is it over? And is it okay? Do we know if there's any other way? Am I useful? Am I sane? Am I a bird in a gilded cage? Am I supposed to be feeling this way? And are we just throwing it all down the drain? Is it real? Is it fake? Is it all just a phase? Is it over? Is it okay? Do we know if there's any other, any other way? Am I useful? Am I insane? Am I a bird in a gilded cage? And are we joking? Are we broken? Am I supposed to be, supposed to be feeling this way?
4.
It’s just a feelin It’s just a vibe It’s a sin to be so easy on the eye Baby I see you dance Got something that nobody else has You’re alone but you move like all eyes are on you and I want some of that I’m being bad At being good I’m being ordinarily misunderstood I’m being good At being bad It’s the most fun I ever had Good to be bad Spotlight is dying It doesn’t matter anymore We don’t need fancy drinks Or a cover charge Now It’s all in our heads And It’s all in our bodies On the dance floor I can’t deny that you’re my favorite hobby I’m being bad At being good I’m being ordinarily misunderstood I being good At being bad It’s the most fun I ever had Good to be bad
5.
Black Ice 03:38
Back to Back to the recent past You're waving Like a special lowered flag Winter knocks you back A memory unlocks And there I am untying old knots Move on And leave the boat at the dock Black sheets of ice Need you in my life Black sheets of ice Need you in my life The frozen ground Wish you were around Always with you I always miss you
6.
With Me 03:24
Thinking courageously I found a truth Hidden in corners Severely reduced It’s real magic to say no Say no Mix up the watercolors With your wine Paint me a scene Out the corner your eye We see things fall And they’re broken They’re broken Light candle Make the world go I can be open Honest and rolling Be with me See with me Fight with me Life can be Tough Piecemeal a day Comes together enough Tell a good joke And then shut the hell up Nobody said it was easy A new form Forage for mushrooms And cut your own wood Put on a brave face And hunt for your food Sit round a table And hold hands We hold hands Light a candle Make the world go I can be open Broken and rolling Eat with me Drink with me Write with me Give with me Live with me Rent with me Wish with me Tent with me Be with me See with me Fight with me Life with me Love what we rightfully Build up in spite of us Evenly, even though It can be equally tough Life fucks you up
7.
Old soul Tinted glass You look easy With a coupe in your hand You remind me To always look back On the summer years Blue jean, cigarettes How did you stay so low With your head in the clouds You always gave it away Are you happier now? Are you happier now? Hiding places Sell you out And they beg you for a smile How're you gonna turn them down But even so Hold out your hand Eat all their oranges and bread Cause you're on demand How did you stay so low With your head in the clouds You always gave it away You left none for yourself How did you stay so low With your head in the clouds You always gave it away Are you happier now? How did you stay so low With your head in the clouds You always gave it away Are you happier now?
8.
Without You 02:34
Sometimes I forget about the music and the dual voices It's nice to rediscover all your friends I can only dream of meteors that fall the earth and end it You can run forever or watch it burn instead Get up and make my bed Think about suffering Karaoke in my head Without you Alone, I can't go on without you Make the bed Get ahead Suffering Without you There is no cure for crying There is no time to try it Used to be scared to die without you Get up and rollerskate Everyone needs an escape No time to hibernate Without you
9.
Sleep to get peace Make it easier to deal Cause I can't have you We met inside a dream You don't know me From the devil's tangerine But I can see you Any time on my screen We reconvene Across a table It feels like I'm able To reach out and touch you To tell you I love you And hear it right back I wake up early I don't open my eyes I'm still in silver skies Riding on pillow highs Ambien scream Yeah I'm swimming in the hangover of a dream Back in my bed At 8pm For our next date Didn't want to be empty handed In case you show up again I don't have a life But what use is living If I have a vision To lean on An excellent rerun Ambien scream Yeah I'm swimming in the hangover of a dream What does it mean When I close my eyes I see ya But the devil is in between us Yeah the devil is in, the devil is making a scene
10.
Baby bought the farm With some money that she saved For a rainy day Got a couple of dogs Curtains from a catalogue And plans to plant daisies Cost her a pretty penny But it’s her sanctuary She can’t walk away it was advertised A new lease on A worn out life It came with a free halo If you think you’re down Get on your knees And shuck some corn or weed tomatoes Don’t need no car alarms Don’t need no four way stops We fly anywhere we hang If John and Evian can do it Nomi could up and I’d move with Old hammer Hit nail Into it A true fate Cook eggs in a coffee pot And keep the place unlocked Don’t got much to our names no Straw hats on happy babies Waving at little old ladies It’s just another day oh Baby bought farm she bought the farm But it was too late
11.
Souvenirs 02:44
Like an A frame you can touch it Like a souvenir poking in your pocket Like a rubberband leaves a thumbprint Like a handful of sand in your armpit A collector's mind I get a whiff and I'm paying any price Nobody can deny that you're making me work for it I can't ignore it Lucky number 24 and it won't quit Like a headache strapped on a rocket Like a phillips-head stuck in the socket A collector's mind Looking back it looks better all the time Nobody would deny that you're making me work for it Like a smoking section of an aeroplane Like a dog tag with your brother’s name Like a ring full of keys to old haunts It’s the smell of your house growing up Like a spark hits a dumpster and goes up in flames Once you spot it everything will start to change I have a piece of your life In a pocket of mine Have another man's life In a pocket of mine
12.
You're the real thing Big boots and diamond rings Hypnotical legs You said what up babe You pulled up right The only cowboy for miles 800 degrees In your mirror ball gaze You used to say On the open road today There are no shortcuts or heartaches You used to say On the open road today There are no free rides or one ways Our route was a rubber band Figure eight across the land Once again the wanderer Is back where he began Stare into the fire A natural way to get high You burned your tie I prayed for rain You used to say On the open road today There are no strangers or runaways With your head hung low Suit case atrophy You're a renaissance man With wine stained teeth It's a hard memory So you order one more In your rumpled suit With the green velveteen Looking at the window for a sign And it's gone But the idea stays with you And you let it hang on Cause you still believe You're cowboy king Do you order one more You say let's double your tip money But you never ever do Who would drive to the casino I won't drive you to the casino at this time You leave the scene With your rumple suit on We see the same sun And the hair of dog Take a half a day off It's a joke You never told

about

Varsity have built an impressive catalog in the past decade, becoming Chicago's lead indie-pop band in the process. But after releasing 2015’s self-titled debut, 2018’s Parallel Person, a run of singles collected on 2019’s The Basement Takes, and 2020’s Fine Forever, the band sought a new approach for their fourth full-length, Souvenirs.

Vocalist/keyboardist Stef Smith, guitarists Dylan Weschler and Patrick Stanton, bassist Paul Stolz, and drummer Jake Stolz set out to not only release but also record a new album less conventionally. With their 2023 experiment to write, record, and release a song a month throughout the year, they knew they could take more creative risks and take on different influences or sounds while recording. All 12 tracks have been compiled on their latest release, Souvenirs.

They're still working in indie and pop tradition — one that recalls groups like Fleetwood Mac, Rilo Kiley, and Alvvays — Varsity has taken the recognizable pieces of their sound and reached across sonic boundaries to reframe the genre in their own image.

credits

released February 16, 2024

written, performed & recorded by varsity

stephanie smith
dylan weschler
patrick stanton
jacob stolz
paul stolz

track 1 mixed by ben lumsdaine
tracks 2-7 & 12 mixed by michael macdonald
tracks 8, 10, 11 mixed by dylan weschler

mastered by greg obis

artwork by sunroom
hellosunroom.com

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about

VARSITY Chicago, Illinois

rock \\//\\//\\//\\// pop
www.varsitytunes.com

booking:
msandrin@tourpeachy.com

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