Virgins put out their debut EP ‘Transmit a Little Heaven’ to critical acclaim back in October 2022 and have spent much of the interim touring Ireland and the UK as headliners or as support to Bleach Lab and Bdrmm on their respective Irish tours.
The strength of that EP and the experience garnered on the road have equipped them with a confidence on full display on ‘nothing hurt and everything was beautiful’, their most collaborative effort to date. This confidence is palpable from the get-go, with the Guns ‘n’ Roses-like guitar licks in opening track ‘Softer’ and the stoically confident lyric, “I saw you leaving’”
But, wait. Guns ‘n’ Roses licks in a shoegaze album? That’s right. But this is not simply a shoegaze album, as Virgins draw on a range of influences. The up-tempo start is followed up by the records’ lead single, ‘Slowly, Long’, on which the drums and driving guitars carry an exciting punk urgency.
This gives way to a more traditionally ‘shoegaze-y’ sound in the middle of the album, starting with third track ‘Close’. The drums and Cocteau Twins-esque vocals shine in this section of the record, particularly in the latter half of ‘Pale Fire’ – when the music swells and the singer’s voice becomes more strained – and into ‘Adore’, which is at its best when the vocals are the focal point.
The album’s early urgency returns in standout track ‘Disappearer’, on which much clearer vocals sound as though Debbie Harry joined a dreampop band. The song’s repeated lyric, “Wax and wane / Fall and rise” aptly describes this album’s pacing, but certainly not its quality.
Virgins will play ‘nothing hurt and everything was beautiful’ in its entirety at Sin É in Dublin on 26 April and at the Deer’s Head in Belfast on 27 April. Get your hands on tickets and records before they’re gone.
