Wiretap Records – June 5, 2020
Pop punk in disguise
Daytona Beach's Virginity first appeared on my radar in late 2019, when they opened up for Wolf-Face in Tampa. Regrettably, I arrived late and missed their set, but their name was memorable so it stuck with me. Now I've been kicking myself since hearing their new EP, Death To The Party, which is their first for juggernaut Wiretap Records.
The four song EP kicks off with a quiet track that takes over a minute to build and kick in, but it pays off and sets the mood for the brief ride Death To The Party embarks on. “Fest 17” seizes the feeling of bummer, regret and frustration as a drunken day and night (most likely at Fest 17) replays the following morning, before realizing that none of this really matters because future drunkenness is inevitable. The song is rounded out by a couple of well-placed, rowdy backing vocals.
Virginity channels the best parts of Ultimate Fakebook and Weezer on “Bad Call,” only with a more aggressive and dynamic singer. This song is driven by an engaging vocal melody and supported by a wall of fuzzy guitars. Hiding slightly behind all of this is a pop masterpiece that should make for some great crowd singalongs, with an outro worthy of a slow motion pit.
The second half of the record changes the pace with the upbeat “Fall of Try,” which reminds me a little of Cold Wrecks. They close it out with the slower, but hard-hitting “Can I Borrow Your Mistakes?”
What really makes Death To The Party stand out is the songwriting. These guys pack in so many captivating and memorable parts, and limit the repetition in a way that makes the songs just fly by. This is about as catchy as music gets without sounding boring or dull. The production feels polished but maintains the rawness to let the energy shine through.
Overall, they did a great all around job putting this EP together. Knowing that Virginity has only been a band since 2018 makes this record that much more impressive. The only drawback is that there are only four songs and they left me wanting more.