Versus Me

The metalcore band Versus Me formed in Janesville, Wisconsin, in 2014. A midwestern supergroup of sorts, the group's founding lineup featured various members of other regionally-acclaimed bands. Vocalist James Milbrandt and his brother, bassist Lee Milbrandt, were both alumni of Serianna, while drummer Dustin Helgestad was a former member of Crossing The Delaware. Verus Me's fourth member, Patrick Thompson, was also a member of Alesana. Helgestad and Thompson would later be replaced by J.J. Johnson and Dustin Hansen, respectively. "(A)Tension," the band's debut single, was released in 2015 and became a viral hit on video-sharing platforms, thanks in part to the song's guest appearance by Escape The Fate vocalist Craig Rabbit. The follow-upsingles "Partyblood" and "An American Tale" were also released in 2015, with all three songs appearing on the band's debut album, Changes, in 2016. Another all-star collaboration arrived in the form of 2017's "Real Life Monsters," which featured vocals from Eric Vanlerbleghe of the post-hardcore band I Prevail. After releasing a second full-length album, Continuous, in 2019, Versus Me went viral again with a cover of the Taylor Swift song "Cruel Summer." The band released several one-off singles during the years that followed, charting at Number 37 on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart with "Down" in 2021 and climbing slightly higher with the follow-up hit "Terrified," which reached Number 34 in 2022.