Virgins have quickly become one of Irelands most promising rising bands, flying the flag for Irish shoegaze since their sold out and critically acclaimed debut EP ‘transmit a little heaven’in 2023. They return with a momentous new single ‘s o f t er’, already a live fan favourite. A shoegaze tour de force built around a looping lead riff and the ethereal yearning vocals of Rebecca Dow. Gargantuan walls of dense, beautiful reverbs and dreamy fuzz, transport the listener to a world of abstract beauty and bliss. Michael Smyth and David Sloan’s guitar complement each other perfectly, adding layers of shimmering choral accents, glide guitar trem-arm rhythms, reverse reverbs and lush jet plane phaser sounds. All driven by James Foy’s thunderous drums and anchored by gloriously fuzzed out bass of Brendy McCann. While basking in this audio bath, Rebeccas vocals offer a guide point to navigate through the hazy requiem.
The single accompanies the announcement of their eagerly anticipated debut album, ‘nothing hurt and everything was beautiful’ due out April 11th via Blowtorch Records on a pressing of 300 starburst vinyl. ‘nothing hurt and everything was beautiful’ finds the band exploring a wider sonic palette, seamlessly moving between the gaze-pop of ‘s l o w l y, l o n g’ and ‘d i s a p p e a r e r’, to the dance influenced ‘s o f t e r’ and to the heavy, expansive and ethereal ‘p a l e f i r e’ and ‘t e n d’. Their captivating sound doesn’t rely on recycling shoegaze tropes but brings a fresh and contemporary approach to the genre. The album follows the bands headline slot at GazeFest and the release of the hugely successful single ‘s l o w l y, l o n g’ last August.
Those who pre-order the album via the bands Bandcamp page will be treated to an instant download of an exclusive non-album track, ‘g l i s s’. A track that in the band’s own words, ‘is the bridge from the EP to the album, a sonic clue that nods to what came before but looks forward to what is about to come’.
The band will play two album launch parties;
April 26th, Dublin – Sin E
April 27th, Belfast – Deers Head
Pre-order the album and merch here:
https://bandofvirgins.bandcamp.com or https://www.blowtorchrecords.com
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FFO: Nothing, Slow Crush, My Bloody Valentine, Wolf Alice, Slowdive, Bdrmm