Virgins Family Band’s members are young, many still students at UNC.
But you wouldn’t know that by listening to their new album, Honeylion. Boasting a mixture of everything from smooth jazz to upbeat pop, the new album sounds like it’s the product of musical maturity cultivated from many years of playing together.
“Moon Breath” starts the album off in a lazy haze. Harmonizing vocals and a soft, cascading electric guitar slowly build into a brash mixture of jam-band rock and pop. By the end of the song, the guitars, synth and drums die off and segue into the next song, “Well Aware.” With rolling drums and the bass vamping with funk flair, it naturally picks up on the previous song’s vibe.
However, “Needs” quells the curiosity. It’s hauntingly slow. The electric guitar is quiet, barely topping the sound of a whisper. Khoujinian’s voice echoes like he’s singing in an empty warehouse, similar to the vocal style of Robin Pecknold of the Fleet Foxes.
“Lily Molusco” closes the album. It starts off slow and folksy, with acoustic guitar, harmonizing vocals and sparse percussion. By the end of the song, Khoujinian breaks his mellow vocal style and is yelling over power chords with an intensity found nowhere else on the album.
Then, the song fades out, ending Honeylion as softly as it started. But it’s a fitting ending, capturing the dynamic peaks and troughs of one of Chapel Hill’s best bands.
Dive verdict: ?????
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