Junior Varsity have built their reputation on doing the unexpected.

Before even dropping a single, the LA-based band, then comprising Greg Varteresian and Zach Michel, garnered thousands of fans – and a deal with Warner Records – through off-the-wall exploits like organizing their own chaos-fueled underground music festival A F*cking Weekend and pasting a picture of a cow to the Hollywood sign. When they finally debuted with EPs Junior Varsity (2021) and SIDE B (2022), their high-octane punk sound was received fervently by an already devoted fanbase.

Now, Junior Varsity have overhauled everything: They’ve dropped Warner, added a new lead vocalist, and completely changed their sound with their latest EP, My Star, released in November via Key Records.

“We got out of that deal with our label, and we were like, we should just start fresh…we had the idea of adding a girl to the band,” Greg Varteresian explains on a video call.

That “fresh start” came in the form of singer Brooke Danaher. Varteresian and Michel had initially written music for their new alt-pop sound, but once they met Danaher the project took its own form, prompting the trio to start from scratch.

Throughout My Star, Danaher’s cheery ad-libs and airy tone add dimension to Varteresian’s deep monotone, creating an lively interplay absent in their earlier work. On “New York,” the two enact a disjointed conversation over a busy soundscape of swirling guitars. Later, they join forces on the Brandon Shoop-produced “Give My Heart,” echoing pleas for someone to accept their love, despite the relationship’s inevitable end in near sight. Introspective tracks like “My Star” and “Do You Really Like Me?” add respite to the fervor, with Danaher and Varteresian getting time to shine on each track respectively, yet they’re at their strongest when together.

This vocal dichotomy manifested the record’s sonic influences. “For us, it was just trying to find bands that did the guy/girl duo really well and honestly, no one has done it on a mainstream level since the mid-2000s that we liked,” Varteresian states. They took notes from the xx’s use of interchanging verses and the Ting Tings’ sprightly tone, along with other characteristics of mid-to-late aughts dance-rock. My Star’s six tracks are laced with dancey drum-synth rhythms, buzzy garage-rock guitars, and catchy chant-like melodies, reminiscent of acts like Two Door Cinema Club and the Go! Team.

When the then trio first met at a cafe in Echo Park, brought together by a mutual friend, they instantly found a kinship through bands of what they call the “early iPod era.” “We talked about MGMT and all the stuff we grew up on,” Danaher says, “…we were just talking about all of these random musical points that happened when we were in high school and I felt like I had met people I already known.” This shared nostalgia informs the music’s youthful energy, from cheerleading chants in opener “Cross The Street” to the video game start-up sequence on “Do You Really Like Me?” and the music box charm of “My Star.”

It was the creation of the EP’s stripped-back title track that solidified Danaher’s spot in the group. “The song ‘My Star’ on the EP was the first session that Brooke and I ever made music together,” Michel shares.

“I wasn’t even there when they made that,” Varteresian adds. “I was home and, like, accidentally high on mushrooms, and Zach sent me the song. And I think I started crying and I was like, ‘Holy shit, this is the best thing ever.'”

With Danaher as “the beam of light to propel us into a level above,” as Varteresian puts it, Junior Varsity are eying a spot as a major player in the alt-pop big leagues. In the new year, the band aims to play more live shows, revive their music festival A F*cking Weekend, and release new music consistently in the coming year.

As for what that may sound like? One thing is certain: It’ll be anything but predictable.

“Me and Brooke right now are really inspired by the Black Eyed Peas,” Varteresian says. From his video call screen, Michel shakes his head. “Okay, we’re trying to get Zach on board.”

My Star is out now via Key. Junior Varsity will play Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn on 1/16.