Song of the Day: The Virgins – Rich Girls

Cheryl, John & Kevin meet The Virgins
Gigantic Studios, NYC 10/30/06
Courtesy of Doron Gild

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s featured selection, chosen by Midday Show host Cheryl Waters, is “Rich Girls,” a demo by The Virgins, a young band out of New York City.

The Virgins – Rich Girls (MP3)

If you’re not from the New York area, you may not have heard of The Virgins. Yet. The Brooklyn boys, Nick Donald, Wade, and Erik, were on our airwaves last October during the last CMJ broadcast, and they impressed the hell out of Cheryl Waters and John Richards. The group recently has been getting buzz thanks to airplay on Mark Ronson’s radio show Authentic Shit and touring with Cold War Kids and Jet. Being from New York, and having a brash, snotty and punky pop sound, the band faces frequent comparisons to The Strokes — and if you do like that band, you’re likely to like The Virgins — but you’ll always hear an additive to that comparison: “The Strokes meets Blondie,” “a disco-fied Strokes” etc. That’s because The Virgins marry the same successful urban sound with other influences to create their own unique union. Currently the band is working on their debut full-length, but for now you pick up their EP, which they put out with friends aNYthing, a collective and shop in the Lower East Side that champions independent artists of all kinds. Go to The Virgins’ MySpace page for more information and to listen to two more songs.

Here’s a live version of the song, performed recently at the Fillmore Irving Plaza: