Neo-Classical Indie Post-Rock Anti-Gospel –

Inhibition has never been a part of the Virginmarys’ sound, but with the release of the alternative version of White Knuckle Riding, a fan favourite from their last LP, The House Beyond the Fires, they stripped themselves bare of amplification, taking listeners back to the urgency behind the agonising lyricism.

The opening piano sequence flows in the same vein as a sombre accompaniment to a pious procession before Ally’s vocals are exhibited at their most ethereal to date, blurring into the reverb and illuminating the single that stands as a testament to the duo’s self-produced sound. It doesn’t take long before you’re sure you’re going to feel bruises crawling up your heartstrings after hitting play. After you have felt the first sonic spectres of melodic morosity creep around you, you’ll still be broadsided by the disarmingly affecting vocal inflections in the first verse as they pour like a desperate plea from inside a Catholic confession box.

The ornately celestial piano-driven release lashes out against genre constraints as much as it asserts anger in the face of the insistence of existential suffering, forced upon the too self-aware, who are destined to ruminate in the obscure expectation to be happy in the true emptiness of reality. There are neo-classical shades drawn around nuances of post-rock, perfected with a Pixies-esque iridescent buzzsaw riff to close out the triumphant chameleonic shift.  Without the Zeus-esque drums, the elasticity of the tensile howls, and the swagger-driven breakdowns that feel like getting caught in a rockslide of riffs and cacophonically cadenced percussion, nothing that the Virginmarys have become synonymous with is lost.

When bands switch up their sound, it’s natural for the core of what they were previously perceived to be to become distorted, but the rework of White Knuckle Riding proves that the crux of the Virginmarys (and the reason they’re practically radiating with reverence through the rock community these days) has always been their raw augmented purges of emotion that are too visceral to keep caged inside the mind. Behind the razor-sharp songwriting chops and anthemic dualistic synergy which sparks between Ally Dickaty (Vocals, Guitars, Songwriter, Producer) and Danny Dolan (Drums, Visual Architect) on stage and on record is the real reason why they have so much international crossover appeal as an independent duo operating out of Macclesfield, UK.

Every new progression in White Knuckle Riding seems to make a new cut and tear through some metaphysical space within you as you’re forced to confront the existential harrow of a mind too disillusioned to find any form of sanctuary, setting the tone for the upcoming Beyond the House of Fires LP, which is now available on pre-order.

Stream the official music video on YouTube.

Vote for the Virginmarys to become this week’s Classic Rock Track of the Week: Voting closes at 11 PM, May 10^th.

Head to the Virginmarys’ official website to pre-order the Beyond the Houe of Fires LP, book tickets to their 2026 tour dates, and to link up with them on all major social and streaming platforms.

Review by Amelia Vandergast