25. Virgins – nothing hurt and everything was beautiful
2024. Blowtorch Records, 8 songs, 40 minutes.
I wish I could say I was writing this from Ireland, but I’m not. I’ve been home in New York for a few days now. First, getting over jetlag. Then, taking care of things that I left behind while on vacation. I tried to write this in Ireland, I really did. I researched the perfect band, listened to some bits until I convinced myself it was the one. But, I could not find the right time to sit down and write. I guess (looking back) that this is actually a good thing. Like, time flies or whatever. Virgins is, according to the band’s bio on Spotify “one of Ireland’s most promising rising bands, flying the flag for Irish shoegaze.” This album (great name, by the way) it’s their awaited first LP after some accoladed singles and EP. I’ve been excited to get into it.
“s o f t e r” starts with an unexpected kind of riff. It is fast, too clean, and sassy in ways that do not immediately read shoegaze to me. Soon, the second guitar, bass, and drums come in bringing a more familiar kind of explosion. A “wall of sound” effect coming from the pedals of the second guitar checks at least one of my boxes. The singer comes in, her voice is high pitched, she has a masterful control of the simple vocal melodies. I am mostly impressed with her management of dynamics, how she is able to sing in a mellow and elongated form in the verse, and bring more emotion and excitement into the chorus. The verse is structured around a killer bass riff with overdrive. The song gives me a Gish era Smashing Pumpkins vibe. The drummer makes some interesting choices throughout. This band sounds tight.
“s l o w l y, l o n g” begins with fast strumming and the accompanying riff sounds darker, heavier than the one leading the previous song. The verse sounded simple, with reverby chords and a punchy bass line. The chorus brings some arpeggiated tones that give a nice dream-pop balance. There is an instrumental section two thirds into the song that I dig. Once again I am drawn to the drummer and its fast and dynamic patterns. One can really appreciate the balance between the tones of the two guitars in the ending section.
“c l o s e” is the song I liked the most from the start. It is fast like the others, but with a riff that is more elongated and atmospherically embracing than the previous ones. The verse has a nice vocal melody that sits on top of this more minimalistic guitar playing. The chorus brings a totally different vibe, much similar to the high pace of the other songs. The outro had another nice unexpected moment of chillness before a last iteration of the verse amps things up until the end.
“p a l e f i r e” has a longer instrumental intro, a build up that the drummer, the reverby guitar and the bassist constructed for about a minute. When the verse drops, it lowers intensity, which I appreciate. The singer brings up the big guns with some impressive modulation of pitches in a rather simple vocal melody that stretches organically from verse to bridge and becomes incredibly emotive in the chorus. This is my favorite song thus far.
“a d o r e” starts with some interesting, somewhat hidden, chords. This soon turns into what I assumed to be a verse, but it was only a few measures of fast paced singing that leave space for the actual verse, which is slower, and exectued among some spaced out reverby chords. There is a short rephrain in between verses and before the chorus that give a nice depth to this song. The chorus is very attractive, not too complex, but very expressive. This is another song that I like. Here I make a caveat, because I am realizing that both my favorites are songs are actually the ones with fewest streams. Maybe I’m not really getting this band in the way their fans are.
“d i s a p p e a r e r” sounds fast, like a pop-punk song. It is another one with clear riffs that give an “alt-rock” vibe, not necessarily reading shoegaze to me. The vocal melody is not my favorite. The highlight for me is in the short melodic motif that the guitar makes articulating the sections. “s u n s p o t s” is an interesting song, grungier in the intro, the riff is slower and contrasting well with the harmonics. There is some bending in the chord progression of the verse that I dig, the intervals are interesting too.
“t e n d” brings a sadder register in the harmonics of the intro. The drummer comes in but plays minimally until the chorus. This roomy verse feels good, it is another part that showcases the prowess of the singer— good timbre and great control. She adds some effects in the chorus, but she doesn’t need them, the layering she has used throughout the other songs sounds perfectly fine. This song captivates in its simplicity. The outro sounds really great, adding a whole new melodic and rhythmic section. She now sings in spoken word. I appreciate the unexpected changes, a last hurrah in which the colors in the emotional palette of the band are slightly expanded. A solid debut.
Support shoegaze from Ireland (listen to something other than mbv)