Anyone who has spent time on Static Sounds Club will know this band are woven deep into the fabric of the site. Virgins aren’t just any group to me. They are a band whose music I connected to instantly. It was obvious from the get go our record collections had a shared DNA. Right from the outset I was hooked. Transmit a Little Heaven gave us our intro to the band back in 2022 featuring that killer single ‘Vows’. Then in 2024 they dropped their debut album; nothing hurt and everything was beautiful. The singles had warmed us up but I don’t think anyone was ready for how magnificent it would be. So good in fact that it topped my 2024 albums of the year list.
First time I met Michael from the band was at a now legendary Nothing show in Glasgow. That was quite a night. It was also an absolute joy to catch Virgins themselves live twice in Glasgow (also getting to meet the amazing Wynona Bleach at one show). I have returned again and again to their music because each release felt like it was written just for me. I’m certainly not alone in that as the band have an incredible number of live dates under their belts across the UK and Ireland. They’re a band who understand dynamics both on record and on stage, something proven time and again through shows, tours, festival slots, and well-earned critical support.
Like all good things though Virgins have now come to their natural end but not before furnishing us with one last sonic memento. A closing chapter to their much-loved story. Knowing that Light The Space Left Behind is the bands final release has made writing this harder than usual. This isn’t a band I want to say good bye to.
The circumstances around the recording of the EP were slightly different this time. Instead of heading into a formal studio environment, the band chose to record in their practice space, keeping everything close and instinctive. Michael took on engineering and production duties while Rebecca recorded her vocals at home. The sessions were brief and focused, captured over two days in September, just before the band headed out to support Slow Crush on their Irish dates. I think that tells you how in sync this band had become being able to achieve so much in such a short space of time.
So dear reader let’s dive in, one last time, and see what Virgins have for us.
‘Crucible’ opens the EP and immediately sounds like the band have refined their sound. The familiar Virgins elements are all present sure. Dense layers of fuzz, cascading guitar lines and Rebecca’s voice hovering just above the noise. What stands out is the confidence in the arrangement. Dave’s guitar takes on a heavier role here, pushing thick sheets of fuzz forward while Michael’s lead lines glide and echo around the edges. The drumming feels more assertive too, guiding the track through its shifts like an Exocet missile. It feels like a band testing their own boundaries one last time and finding new space inside a sound they know intimately.
Up next ‘Passing’ brings a subtle change in tone. Described by the band as arriving almost fully formed, it carries a clarity that sets it apart. There is a looseness to the way it moves, less about sheer impact and more about flow if you get what I mean. The guitars shimmer and swell, but they leave more room for the melody to breathe. Rebecca’s vocal performance feels especially assured here, guiding the song with a lightness that contrasts beautifully with the sonic weight beneath it. For me it’s that vocal performance that steals then show here. It is a song about movement and transition, which given the context of this release, just gives it even more emotional heft.
We close out the EP with ‘Reveries’. Born from a jam and shaped slowly through collective effort, it carries an almost suspended quality. The track has a strong Russian gaze feel to it. That lead guitar and Rebeccas falsetto carry us off to Saint Petersburg! I don’t know if it’s just me but there is a sense of the band listening closely to one another here, lots of eye contact in the room. Everyone sure of their part and each other’s. Dynamics are on point and we are left breathless wanting more. Knowing the band as I do, I can imagine they’ve picked this as the last track as a last shared breath before the lights go down. And then it’s over.
Michael’s statement announcing the end of the band was honest, self-aware, and touched with humour, but it also underlines just how much has been achieved. Five years of writing, recording, touring, and building a community around the music is no small thing. Support from radio, press, playlists, and peers came because the songs deserved it. Appearances at festivals, tours across Ireland and the UK, and moments like supporting Slow Crush, Som, BDRMM, and Bleach Lab all speak to a band who earned their place through graft and vision rather than hype.
Listening to Light The Space Left Behind, it’s hard not to think about this band’s legacy. This EP doesn’t try to summarise everything Virgins were or attempt to tie their story up neatly. Instead, it offers three songs that reflect where they were at the end. Confident, collaborative, emotionally open, and still curious about their sound. For those of us who have followed the band from early singles through to EP’s, the album and live shows, it feels like a respectful and honest goodbye.
Since I found out the news I’ll not lie, I’ve been feeling surreal for days. Personally, I’d just like to say a massive thank you. I have absolutely loved writing about Virgins music over the last few years. Having met them a few times I can honestly say they are just the best people. Good good folk. I hope I’ll get to see them again in future ventures. So, until then I’ll just raise a glass to Virgins. Cheers folks, nothing but love!
Light The Space Left Behind is out February 19th 2026. You can check out the first track over on the Virgins Bandcamp page now.
You can follow Virgins on social media here…
Photo Credit
Ebony Alexander Media
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