Audio By Carbonatix
Virgins
Miscarriage
(Kiss of Death)
It seems like just a few months ago, Sam Johnson was wandering around Orlando, telling people that his longtime band, New Mexican Disaster Squad,
was ending, but that he had a new thing cooking — and maybe this next
band would be recording some demos soon. In actuality, it was just a few months ago, and those soon-to-be demos quickly transmogrified into the debut album from Johnson’s new escapade, Virgins. Not to be confused with major-label mallrockers the
Virgins, this Orlando punk outfit is rough and ready, steeped in both
the ’80s hardcore roots that defined the sound of New Mexican, but with
a garage-inspired looseness. Johnson’s gruffly sung lyrics still sound
like the scribblings of a Reagan-era skater (see: “Atheist in
America”), and the four-on-the-floor rhythm section of drummer Eric
Pitman (Polluted Youth) and bassist Phil Longo (Coun-try Slashers)
easily evoke a timeless punk purity. However, Virgins is a far less
strident affair than New Mexican ever was, and the sound of Miscarriage
is the sound of a band that’s close to careening out of control,
unafraid to take their drunken fans with them. That reckless energy
manifests itself in riotous anthems like “Perfect World” and “War
Choppers” that are decidedly unpolished and raw … just like good punk
rock should be. —Jason Ferguson
