On
Virginia Wing s fourth full-length, the album s themes of isolation, dealing with trauma, and mental wellbeing reflect a collective despair that we are all feeling after a year without spontaneous human interactions. Right now, it feels like all our lives are private â the self that we show to others being just a preselected snapshot mediated through feeds and computer screens. Â
Having made Ecstatic Arrow in alpine Switzerland s picturesque setting in 2018, the Manchester trio had to settle on working from home like the rest of us did in 2020. Despite this, Private Life is testimony to the remarkable things one can achieve in times of crisis: Virginia Wing have produced one of the most fearless pop records of not only 2021 but the past few years. Glossier and more tumultuous than its predecessor, the band s idiosyncratic roots haven t been compromised, thanks to the dense, multi-layered arrangements and sporadic moments of strange, futuristic magic.Â
It isn’t immediately obvious that
private LIFE, Virginia Wing’s fourth album, is their most engaging album to date. Anyone might think it’s ‘just’
Ecstatic Arrow Mk. 2 – and neither artist nor listener would be to blame, given how the Manchester group’s 2018 release represents such a strident leap forward that it would be inadvisable to do anything too off-piste for the follow-up.
The two LPs are linked by a similar strain of ‘fourth world’ production, covertly masking what is essentially pop in the avant tradition of Peter Gabriel. Vocalist Alice Merida Richards’ speak-sing approach fits the bill too, sitting at a Laurie Anderson monotone until errant emotions permit a melodic flight to the upper register, complementing her lyrical desire for escape.