Junior Varsity Release Debut Single 'Cold Blood'

Today, Los Angeles band Junior Varsity shares their long-awaited anthemic debut single "Cold Blood." After years of building a following through high-energy, occasionally bloody live shows and a string of evocative/provocative teasers on Instagram (among other socials), the duo of Greg Aram and Zach Michel has properly debuted on Warner Records. Listen HERE. The thorny punk-pop track arrives accompanied by a gritty, dreamlike visual that features, among other things, a man on fire. Watch the video HERE. The song was also premiered by Zane Lowe on Apple Music.

"Cold Blood" is an expressive, surrealist song that draws on the sneering dynamics of '90s rock, the low-key psychedelia of bedroom pop, and the lonely emoting of some recent strains of rap and R&B. Dynamic and vibrant, the instrumental twists as Aram sings paranoid, yet honest lyrics about distrusting those closest to him.

The video echoes the symbolic, stylish, and DIY-feeling footage that's often accompanied the snippets they've uploaded to Instagram over the last few years. It opens with a man on fire running alongside a slowly moving car and gets stranger from there. Someone in a full-body cast falls into a swimming pool, Aram rages in a kitchen, and a shirtless man climbs the Hollywood sign.

"Cold Blood" may be Junior Varsity's first single to hit DSPs, but the duo has been on the rise. Their vivid social posts and wild live shows have won them a cult following and critical acclaim, garnering press support from Ones To Watch and Pigeons & Planes-the latter of which described their "unconventional approach" as part of the appeal for "for in-the-know fans on the bleeding edge." With songs as textured, emotional, and fully realized as "Cold Blood," Junior Varsity will soon be welcoming a whole lot more people into their strange world.

Junior Varsity is the Los Angeles duo of Greg Aram and Zach Michel, whose music is inspired by rock and hip-hop from the early 2000s. They infuse their songwriting with thoughtful storytelling and transfer that passion to the stage with high-energy live shows. Their performances have garnered early press support from Ones To Watch, and Pigeons & Planes. In a rare move, the duo built up enough fan support to headline multiple nights at 200 capacity clubs in LA & NY, all without having released any music online. Junior Varsity's aim is to cause disruption in the name of social progress.

Listen to "Cold Blood" here: