“I’m On Fire” by Variety Hour sounds on the surface like a moody indie rock song with a minimal rhythm guitar riff at the beginning of the song. But as it all progresses it dawns on you that the guitar part might be looped as well as the possibly electronic or sampled drums. And then the rhythm drops out as does the guitar and the melancholic vocals drift through a soundscape of birds, insect sounds, echoing guitar plinking before the sound of a soft explosion signals the song going into its final passages and a whorling drone courses as the backdrop of the vocals and sometimes in the foreground. It doesn’t draw immediate comparisons to other artists except maybe the vibe is reminiscent of JOHN or Panchiko with the genre-blurring aspect of the latter. The lyrics follow a similar theme as the rest of the EP of needing to break free of the constraints of a mode of living that seems stifling and no longer serves you and the music for this song feels like a person the verge of making that break because the spirit to do so is already there. Listen to “I’m On Fire” on Spotify and follow Variety Hour at the links below. The band’s new EP Need a Change released on October 31, 2025.
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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