Having emerged as one of Ireland's top talents in recent years, Belfast shoegaze quintet Virgins release their debut album. This album sounds fresh and invigorating, nodding to the past with a brighter future.
After gaining some well-deserved attention with the release of 2022's EP, Transmit a small skyVirgins deliver Nothing hurt and everything was beautiful. at the perfect moment. The current shoegaze wave, which is flooding the music scene, is bringing together young and old to enjoy the reverb and fuzz that the genre brings, and on this album we get the full force of nature.
When you press play or place the needle on the opening track, the wonderful name softer, you get an instant rush of adrenaline and sonic sounds reverberating through the speakers. It's a tour-de-force of a song; Singer Rebecca Dow's delicious, ethereal voice is incredibly rich and offers that perfect combination of Rachel Goswell mixed with Elizabeth Fraser. Built around a truly glorious riff, the song floats beautifully, sometimes feeling like a murmur and then, moments later, like a jet plane taking off.
slowly, long it quickly follows with more chords and more incredible dreamy vocals from heaven. The strong, angular guitar sounds of musicians Michael Smyth and David Sloan drive the song; is a truly welcome assault on the ears and senses. near Accompanies that ideal with fuzz-soaked guitars, the chords move and shape a wall of sound that never stops. It's a dreamy Alt-Rock song and feels like something the grunge noise merchants 'Nothing' would record.
What follows next is nothing short of remarkable. pale fire It's six minutes of pure happiness. It builds and falls as all the instruments combine to make you feel like you're in another world. It changes whatever deep mood you want to mention, and when Rebecca's voice joins in, it's like a shot of dopamine. There is an avalanche of noise, drums filling the sky as wailing guitars bend and take shape along with them.
missing brings a slightly slower, calmer, but still completely driven sound. Once again, Rebecca Dow's voice is wonderful and brings out the beauty in a storm of noise. to adore It rumbles slowly, causing a tsunami of reverb and further pushing the boundaries of shoegaze and its surroundings.
Sunspots It has a truly lovely Cocteau Twins charm. A delicious fuzzy bass sound runs through the song, and a middle eight breaks down only to build back up as Dow sings: “I hear voices on the radio.” If there is justice in the world, this song and his voice will be heard on said radio.
The file is closed with tend, the last song written for the album. She ebbs and flows deliciously, bringing together everything that came before into a behemoth of melodies, angst-driven guitar, and blissful percussion. It merges what the Virgins are. It leaves you completely absorbed in its sound and wanting more.
Nothing hurt and everything was beautiful. is the perfect example of a band charging forward on a beat. From a noisy rehearsal room in Belfast, this album is reaching people all over the world. The album's title is a brilliant nod to Kurt Vonnegut's classic novel Slaughterhouse-Five, where the protagonist has become “detached from time.” It's dark and has a depth that takes you on an epic journey, which really sums up the themes of the album. Make sure you dive deep into it.
thanks to our partners at www.xsnoize.com
