Premiere: Virga’s ‘Ghost’ is here to haunt you
Virga. // photo by Jada Hester
Lawrence quartet Virga classify themselves as “gothic Americana” and that sound is perfectly encapsulated on their new single, “Ghost.”
The first track to be released from the band’s debut full-length, due out Thursday, August 24, is darkly meditative and feels as though Virga is climbing inside your head and setting up residence for a bit.
We’re beyond excited to premiere “Ghost,” along with a short interview with the band about their history, sound, and their new album.
The Pitch: How’d the band form?
Virga officially formed in December of 2022. Lane [Hornback] and Faith [Maddox] had started collaborating on a few songs the summer before, with the intention of keeping the sound very minimal and acoustic. That idea transformed a lot as we continued to work on the album, and Billy [Orr] and Deegan [Poores] joined the band that winter.
What is “gothic Americana”?
Gothic Americana is a loose descriptor that nods to the influences of Southern Gothic literature and Midwestern aesthetics on our sound. We have a hard time fitting ourselves into a specific sonic genre, and that label speaks more to the world-building that is central to our approach to writing. We often talk about trying to capture this specific moment in ecological and sociopolitical history in our music — one that is distinctly American, rural, and living in anticipatory grief of catastrophic loss due to climate change.
Where and how did you record the album?
We recorded this album at the home studio of Caufield Schnug and Lira Mondal of Sweeping Promises. Caufield recorded, mixed, and mastered this album, and has been an imperative source of support and wisdom throughout this process. The album was recorded completely live, as we wanted our first project to feel as raw and truthful to our live performances as possible. Every time we went to record it ended up raining, which felt incredibly canonical, so there are a few samples of that in the background as well.
Why’d you want to release “Ghost” as your first single?
“Ghost” is one of our more straightforward songs, and felt like the natural choice for a single out of the batch. It’s punchy, nihilistic, and one of our favorites to play live. It’s a solid reflection of the album’s tone as a whole, and also fairly indicative of where we want to go next.
Who are you all playing with next?
Our next show will be our album release show on Friday, August 25th at the White Schoolhouse in Lawrence. We’ll be playing with two of our favorite bands, 2w33dy and Commodities Exchange. The show is being put on by LAAND, and doors are at 6:30pm with music starting at 7.
