New York City genre-benders VRSTY (pronounced “Varsity”) have never been the type to color inside the lines, and their latest single “grief machine” might just be their most emotionally unguarded release yet. If grief is love with nowhere to go, then “grief machine” is the sound of that love finally finding an outlet.

The accompanying video — deceptively stark, almost confessional in its simplicity — features frontman Joey Tyler flipping through the pages of his own emotional journal in real time. There are no theatrics, no distractions. Just a vocalist staring down something heavier than granite and daring the listener to sit with him in it.

“It’s definitely the most personal and important song I’ve ever written,” Tyler shares. “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.”

That raw honesty is exactly why VRSTY continue to carve out such a distinct lane in the alt-pop, hard rock, and R&B conversation. Kerrang! once described their sound as “endless grooves and danceable parts, punctuated by breakdowns and completed with dark atmosphere,” and “grief machine” leans fully into that atmospheric heaviness without sacrificing the hooks the band is known for. It’s a beacon for anyone wading through the many stages of loss — a reminder that stonewalling eventually breaks, and that there’s catharsis on the other side.

If you’ve been following along, “grief machine” slots in alongside earlier 2026 releases “face down” and “ez2find,” further cementing that VRSTY aren’t just experimenting — they’re building out an entire emotional universe. Watch the “grief machine” video here: https://youtu.be/8ZrjSZ1NkYs

Fans can catch VRSTY on the road this summer with DED and Dropout Kings. The run kicks off this weekend and winds its way across the country through early August.

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

With more music promised for 2026, “grief machine” feels less like a single and more like a mission statement. Press play, sit with it, and let it do its work.