The Virgins

This debut full-length by New York's Virgins is just a cheek-slap short of the bratty 'tude exhibited on their breathless, self-titled 2007 EP. That record's bristling guitar and crude faux-funkitude is largely missing here, leaving room for sly footwork in another direction. The sleek pop of "She's Expensive" conveys the band's intent right from the get-go: twittering guitars, a bubbling bass, and a sleek sheen of '80s synths in the dance-club rhythm is swanker than anything on the EP. "One Week of Danger" is also clean and brisk compared to the EP version, which is included here (the demo version is one and the same), but the rawness of demos are hard to beat. With earlier versions of some Virgins songs included, it's interesting to hear the band's transition, and sometimes that extra dusting of grit really isn't needed. "Rich Girls"—a particularly strong tune from the EP—benefits here from a streamlined, disco-strut vibe. There's a bit of the Stones' Some Girls era here, with a faint bit of The Strokes still in the mix. With tinkering, that could be a lethal cocktail.