Artist Watch: Versio Curs
FEATURING FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES, PLAYERS, COMPOSERS AND THEIR MUSIC OUTSIDE OF THE LICENSE LAB CATALOG
Release Title: How Are You
Genres: Pop Punk, Indie Rock
Quick Description: Driving guitar melodies with dreamy vibes, confident punk beats, and an urgent danceability. Combined with confessional, sarcastic, and bleeding heart vocals, Versio Curs have an undeniable chemistry and balance that makes their debut album stand out.
For Fans of: David Bazan, Joyce Manor, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Rozwell Kid, Social Distortion
Versio Curs has the seasoned sound of a road tested band that’s been slowly perfecting their brand of indie punk rock for years. But when you play their 2018 album, How Are You, you’re actually hearing the beginnings of the band. When their debut album was recorded, the band had never toured or even played a show, yet the album still has the presence of a band beyond their years.
The band’s chemistry is no accident. They started making music together in high school, though no shows were ever played. But those formative moments of navigating your instrument in a group setting for the first time are critical. That unspoken communication and connection became part of their musical DNA. So when they reconnected after college and resumed working on music, the groundwork was already laid and their individual experiences helped fuel the next steps as the band came together once again.
Dueling guitars and an acrobatic bass push the band’s sound forward. The complementary nature of the two guitars partner perfectly with basslines that aren’t content to wait for the next chord change. Lead lines mingle and merge together with rhythm parts, making ear-catching chord progressions sparkle. The drums then act as the glue that bring these elements together. Energetic delivery, well-placed fills, and dramatic style shifts all emphasize the solid beat that unifies the record.
These instruments and performances all set the perfect stage for singer Kyle Halverson’s bleeding heart lyrics and vocal delivery. His weary baritone is not an obvious choice for such confident punk backdrops, but it’s that contrast that makes it work so well. Halverson partners self-deprecating confessions with a dark, sarcastic commentary in his lyrics, as sung on the chorus of the brief and powerful opening track, “Fourth Of July:”
Run my way back to my home
I am pointless, and I am dumb
Turn my face away from the bombs
God help me I'm getting numb
Like all things with Versio Curs, there’s balance. The guitars take different approaches, yet can mesh perfectly. The roaming basslines lay over the solid and energetic drums. And disaffected, jaded vocals compliment the confident energy of the band. Their formative years together formed a bond normally forged through tours and endless gigging. But no matter the route, they have come through with a fully formed and stunning modern punk album.