The Versus universe is a much larger one now that the parent band is dead and gone. The original band reformed for the Merge 15th anniversary shows in DC, as they occasionally do to play a couple of shows here and there, but it seems Hurrah will be Versus’s last album of material. Anyone who already knows the accomplished indie rock band understands what a loss this is; it always seemed, though, that Versus got more post-mortem attention than it did when the band was still a going concern.

Hurrah is the most polished gem in Versus’s back catalog; while previous albums like Secret Swingers were louder and more intense, Hurrah was first and foremost an album of sweet sounds and perfectly constructed hooks. “My Adidas” is a perfect example, probably the most sedate opener on a Versus album. Had Versus continued to make music, it’s likely they would’ve become even more sublime and mature in their later years, becoming elder statesmen of the indie scene in a sense. But maybe that future was just too pat and predictable for them, and now we have +/- and the Fontaine Toups instead, among other bands. To think, though, of what might have been…