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Versus - The Stars Are Insane (1994)

Artist: Versus

Author: Sarah

Date: 02/26/2026 (originally written around August 2024)

Listen: Apple Music | Bandcamp | Spotify

It would be very easy for someone to criticize this album as being "generic", and I wouldn't even be able to say honestly that they were wrong. After all, it's true: there's not really anything distinctive about what Versus is doing here. They're a bit noisy, but not as noisy as Sonic Youth. A bit poppy, but not as poppy as Teenage Fanclub. A bit punk, but not as punk as Superchunk. Richard Baluyut's voice is good, but it'll leave you convinced that you've heard him somewhere else before; similar goes for Fontaine Toups' occasional vocal appearances.

But instead of seeing that as a lack of personality, I prefer to think of it as a chameleon-like ability to be the type of album you want it to be. One example of their adaptability: even as they intentionally shunned the childish lyrical concerns of the twee-er side of indie rock (instead preferring to think of themselves as "meat, sports, and rock"), they nevertheless managed to be favorites of that scene. They could probably be your favorites, too. So what are you waiting for?