In my opinion, VersaEmerge (also known as VERSA) is one of the most underrated bands in the scene. Their first and only studio album, Fixed At Zero, is still in heavy rotation for me even 15 years after its release. If you’re unfamiliar with VersaEmerge, you may be familiar with their powerhouse vocalist, Sierra Kusterbeck, from A Day To Remember’s hugely successful emo anthem “If It Means A Lot To You.” Sierra’s voice is so strong and rich and unique, it simply can’t be matched or replicated. Aside from Sierra’s voice, VersaEmerge brought something so unique to the scene that no one else did at the time; no small feat considering they hail from the same sunshine state that brought us Dashboard Confessional, Underoath, Mayday Parade, From First To Last, and so many more. Heavily influenced by Björk, Imogen Heap, Muse, even Danny Elfman, VersaEmerge’s sound is mystical and exciting.
Fixed At Zero feels like a big, sweeping theatrical score. Guitarist, programmer, and founding member, Blake Harnage, put his experimental twist on all things VE, from the band’s origins in 2006 to their final project in 2014. Between the tinkering keys that sound like a music box and the soaring orchestral strings, there’s a dark, almost haunting twist to a lot of tracks on Fixed At Zero. With themes throughout the album that explore loneliness, discovering and understanding oneself, breaking free from things that hold you back, and learning how to be vulnerable, it’s no surprise this was an important and special album to teenage/young adult fans like myself (at the time).
Fixed At Zero kicks off with “Figure It Out,” the third single from the album, which serves as a perfect tone setter for an album that consistently sways from softer acoustic moments to heavy riffs, like the one featured on the title track, “Fixed At Zero.” My favorite track on the album, “Redesign Me,” is a unique combination of the aforementioned music box sound, a deep, fuzzy bass line from bassist Devin Ingelido, and sharp, crashing drums. VersaEmerge knows how to crescendo into a big finish and it’s very evident in the last minute of “Redesign Me.”
Similarly to their sound, VersaEmerge stands out from the rest of the scene lyrically. They’re smart, sophisticated, and punchy with their words. The wit of their lyrics are even more impressive when you learn that Harnage and Kusterbeck were just 21 and 19, respectively, when they wrote Fixed At Zero. (From track 10, “Mythology,” “Slowly bending backwards ‘til my days become misshaped / You deftly sway my thoughts with your fictitious ways”) I can’t tell you how many of my usernames and statuses were inspired by VE lyrics. I still remember googling the word “lascivious” after hearing it in “Past Praying For” off of their self-titled 2009 EP and then immediately posting the lyric in a status on Facebook. I hadn’t had a band expand my vocabulary like that since Panic! At The Disco’s A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out.
The energy spikes back up with “Fire (Aim Your Arrows High),” trading off vocals between Harnage on the verses and Kusterbeck on the chorus and bridge. This song kicks off the back half of the album that I believe showcases the most theatrical sounds on the album. “Up There,” a song about a literal ghost haunting Sierra in her room, is a bit of a departure, drifting into the realm of creepy, but keeps in theme with the overarching mystical sound. This track features programming from famed producer and songwriter Guy Sigsworth. Sierra’s vocal talent is really showcased in the belted chorus.
The album closes with “Lost Tree,” serving as a wonderful bookend to the opener, “Figure It Out” — starting off acoustic and building into a big, sweeping album recap with Sierra singing snippets of lyrics from previous songs on the album, tying everything neatly together, but not before ripping a chilling scream midway through. I’ve always thought “Lost Tree” served as a kind of ending credits to an incredible, histrionic album.
While touring this album on Warped Tour 2010, Sierra (and VersaEmerge) was featured on MTV’s documentary style show World Of Jenks. Season one, episode seven, “Road Warrior” featured the show’s creator and star, Andrew Jenks, following VersaEmerge on Warped Tour for five stops, including Sierra’s hometown of St. Petersburg. In this episode, Sierra talked with Jenks about how it’s hard to be a 19 year old girl surrounded by guys, opening herself to being scrutinized while performing on stage, and how isolating and lonely touring can be.
I wish I could write this retrospective without mentioning Paramore, but alas here I am mentioning Paramore. If you were in the scene at the time, you know that any female-fronted band immediately got compared to Paramore and Hayley Williams, even if they didn’t sound similar at all. (This still happens now, but I like to think it’s less frequent.) In VersaEmerge’s case, it didn’t help that they were signed to the same label, Fueled By Ramen. As both a huge Paramore and VersaEmerge fan, I can confidently say that the two bands could not be more different, sonically and lyrically. I’ve truly never understood the comparison. I think people (men) in the scene saw a band with a frontwoman and two dudes and exclaimed, “THEY’RE THE EXACT SAME BAND!!!”
VersaEmerge was my favorite band for a lot of formative years in my life. Having seen them live several times before they disbanded, I can attest that they are not only skilled in the studio, but on the stage as well. After Fixed At Zero (and the departure of Devin Ingelido), VE shifted their sound to skew a little more electronic, but kept the mystical undertones. They had a few smaller releases on Fueled By Ramen, including a preview to a fully recorded but never released second album, Another Atmosphere, before leaving the label and self-releasing their EP Neon under the name VERSA. Since then, Sierra has released two albums as the duo Neaux with Nick Fit (Trash Talk, Loss Leader), and some solo work as Bad Daughter. Blake has been producing, doing a lot of work with PVRIS, and more recently on Tate McRae’s “You Broke Me First.”
This band and this album are so special to me, so I would have been remiss to not celebrate this anniversary for Fixed At Zero. I hope this sparked a few, “oh man, I used to love them”s or maybe even helped a few people fall in love with VersaEmerge for the first time. Either way, here’s to an incredibly unique and banger album from a band that I hope is never forgotten.