Misleading title for this, so don’t be fooled. I’ll admit, I’m not usually one to spend a lot of time listening to mixtapes, so rest assured this is not, in fact, a mixtape, but rather a really lovely song simply titled “Mixtape”.

I’ve been paying attention to Brooklyn-based Varsity Star for a while now, a couple of years after he emerged in 2017. A real manifestation of the heights in quality a “bedroom” producer can ascend to, Varsity Star’s productions are intimate and personal, while still achieving a satisfyingly high-res sheen (i.e., decidedly not lofi). He may do his fair share of genre-melding, but ultimately Varsity Star has a truly realized voice as a composer and producer.

This song is from his latest full length, More Than Anything, released this past November. I’ve also included the closing song from his previous LP, 2020’s That’s Something. As the titles of the selected songs may imply, both albums are really perfect music for headphones. Don’t skip these.

Varsity Star – “Mixtape” (sc)

Varsity Star – “Headphones Kid” (sc)