The Virgins
by The Virgins
  • Record Label: Atlantic
  • Release Date: Jun 3, 2008
Metascore
67

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    The Virgins is punchy and slinky and over before you know it, but good, dirty fun while it lasts.
  2. Billboard
    80
    It all adds up to a guilty pleasure for those old enough to remember the '80s.
  3. Los Angeles Times
    75
    Cumming might still be a petty thief--of sounds and ideas now, not clothes--but he clutches at this material as if he invented it, and the band's boldness is hard to resist.
  5. Slant Magazine
    70
    Refreshingly unpretentious, especially by the standards of heavily hyped bands, and as simply entertaining as any recent major label debut, Virgins strikes a careful balance between fashionable and accessible, which makes the band a good candidate for a real commercial breakthrough.
  6. Prefix Magazine
    70
    When The Virgins are paying homage to their New York forefathers in terms of their aesthetic and lyrical content, they have trouble distinguishing themselves from the Jets of the world.
  7. Spin
    70
    Over 38 taut minutes, these New York kids reflect the mirror-ball gleam of primo INXS and "Emotional Rescue"–era Rolling Stones onto the lives of today's young, rich, and wasted.
  8. Hot Press
    70
    Slinky but less than earthshattering debut from buzzy manhattanites.
  9. New Musical Express (NME)
    70
    It’s safe to say this album messes with our heads. You could do worse than let it mess with yours.
  10. Uncut
    60
    The New York threesome have just about enough tunes to pull it off. [Jun 2009, p.93]
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  11. NOW Magazine
    60
    While it’s not a bad debut, it’s nothing special either.
  12. The Guardian
    60
    It's worth stifling the disdain long enough to hear this album, which isn't nearly as irritating as it ought to be.
  13. Q Magazine
    60
    This is indie rock with plenty of funk, snaking basslines and wah-wah guitar. [May 2009, p.119]
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  14. Blender
    50
    The melodies are often limp, the rhythm section disappointingly friction-free, and Cumming’s main lyrical M.O. is to name-drop coke constantly, like the doofus at a party who mistakes a key bump for a badge of cool.
  15. Under The Radar
    40
    At their best, The Virgins come off as a pale imitation of The Cars. At their worst, it’s The Strokes meets Franz Ferdinand without any bite. [Summer 2008]
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Awards & Rankings

98
#98 Most Shared Album of 2008

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. MusicM.
    Jun 17, 2008
    8
    Ten sharp, punchy, and well-produced tunes. If the major labels could turn out this kind of product regularly, they might have a brighter future.
  2. vlad
    Jun 9, 2008
    10
    Come on...this is so easy to get if you understand what they are trying to do...and if Blender say it sucks, well that's all you really Come on...this is so easy to get if you understand what they are trying to do...and if Blender say it sucks, well that's all you really need to know. Go pimp Avril some more clowns...the rest of us will be busy having fun with the soundtrack of summer.… Full Review »
  3. AlbertoR.
    Jun 8, 2008
    10
    I can put this album on from start to finish and love every single song.
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