Virginity - Bad Jazz

“The improvisational spirit of jazz inspired the title and the approach to the third record from Florida power pop darlings, Virginity—specifically, improvisation born out of necessity. Mistakes are inevitable, plans fall through, and the only thing to do is throw some out-of-pocket ideas at the wall and see what sticks. That’s what happened in 2021 when guitarist and lead vocalist Casey Crawford dislocated his leg during the band’s set at Fest on Halloween. Sometimes suffering for your art isn’t a choice. Confronted by an unexpected injury that he saw as a manifestation of his own self-doubt and the precarity of his music career, Casey began to reevaluate his artistic routines and methods, questioning them in the face of uncertainty. Playing through it seemed to be the only option, a strategy that has greatly informed the group’s creative process as they’ve put together their third LP, Bad Jazz.

Casey has said that Bad Jazz is the record where Virginity became, in his words “a real band.” With their first two LPs, they proved their ability to make expertly crafted rock songs, many times over. And while they haven’t sacrificed technical skill or songwriting chops on their latest effort, they’ve let go of some of their deep-seated perfectionism in order to make room for some spontaneity, improvisation, and yes, imperfection. The group’s signature spirit, hooks, and pop punk angst are as fiery as ever as they’ve learned to let go and embrace the mess.”