Double Virgo - Shakedown (2025) Hi-Res

If bar italia is a rebellious Gwenyth Paltrow character, Double Virgo, the side project of bar italia members Jezmi Tarik Fehmi and Sam Fenton, would be played by Paul Dano, the despondent emo. Where bar italia is divisive, Double Virgo are a paradox few can get their heads around: cynical and irreverant, but cartoonishly so. The characters that Shakedown explores are narcissistic and facetious, paranoid and pretentious. The vocals are snarling and whining, and the guitars sound cheap and sloppy. And yet there is a je ne sais quois about Double Virgo that makes it hard to look away, like a public crash-out where the protagonist collapses to the floor weeping, only to wink through the gap between their fingers. Its post-post-ironic take on art punk and garage rock might be frustrating, but beneath its layers of cynicism is a deeply expressive and honest album.

Throughout the history of time, there have been two distinct kinds of emo, the midwest variety, and the pop-punk version that came after. bar italia and Double Virgo, alongside comparable artists like untitled (halo), The Crying Nudes and mark william lewis, belong to an emo revival which has nothing to do with either of them. Instead, this wave is a reinterpretation of the original emotional post-hardcore, with primitive performances, an internetty, grungy Y2K aesthetic, and a lo-fi, bedroom feel to the production. I like to call it hypnagogic emo, owing to its indebtedness to the hauntological influence of Dean Blunt. Double Virgo were originally signed to Blunt’s WORLD MUSIC, moving to Swedish indie label Year0001 this year after a bust-up with their former collaborator.

Shakedown entrenches the moaning sincerity that has become Double Virgo’s trademark. Mercifully, however, it also extends their sonic palette in surprising directions. The lead single, ‘Bemused’, is the most potent example. Beginning with a Depeche Mode-ish clanging drum machine and synth-bass, it quickly jumps into a poppy garage rock song, highly reminiscent of 2000s art punk band Art Brut. In an album mostly defined by lo-fi intensity, Bemused subverts expectations with a sing-along chorus that stands upright in defiance of the snide lyrics (“once again I’m walking through your door / it’s hard to find a real reason anymore”). Bright harmonies and melodic tunes are sugar for the pill, justifying the barely satirical nihilism of the lyrics. The pill does the trick.

Further on in the track list, ‘Role Play’ further pushes the frontiers of their sound, adopting a classic mid-60s rhythm and blues structure. It could be ripped from an early album by The Turtles or The Who, only with dashes of Blur in the subtle electronic flourishes. The narrative of the track – a classic “don’t believe her” narrative about dishonesty and betrayal at the hands of friends and lovers alike – reads like an refreshingly updated version of The Zombies ‘She’s Not There’ – a breath of fresh air admist the unrelenting maelstrom. You could imagine them playing this in a black and white variety show broadcast, guitars strung up high against suits and Cuban heels. Double Virgo is still Double Virgo, however: the lyrics are laced with sleaze and vulgarity. The thread of villainy remains unbroken.

These envelope-pushing entries are the exception, however: most of Shakedown sees the band remain within their comfort zone, meshing shoegaze songwriting with high tempo garage rock performances. ‘due dilettante’ comes to mind, with a guitar melody that sounds like my bloody valentine was covered by Pixies, backed by stuttering, tremolo guitars. ‘totally unrelated part two’ invokes Bloc Party in its adoption of mutant disco rhythms and repetitive post-punk riffs. It also features one of the most hilariously preposterous moments on the album, with an Alvin & The Chipmonks chorus in which the two ill-prepared vocalists try to outdo one another’s falsetto.

Unfortunately, the apathy that defines the record catches up them on some tracks. Littered throughout the tracklisting is slightly repugnant attitude towards human relationships. The despondent, impulsive nihilism of the lyrics that characterise the narrative voice is most evident on ‘alarm bells ringing in central plaza’. Over sloppy acoustic strumming, Fenton songs “I don’t want to make you mad / been doing things you might not understand / you’re still the best I ever had / and that’s the reason why I get so mad”. The nonchalance on display here feels weaponised, and the rather nifty cello in the mix does not make up for slightly gross characterisation.

Shakedown is an apt title, as Double Virgo explores the jaded, withdrawn state that comes in the wake of anguish. Musically, however, the disco beats and repetitive choruses are sure to get any party shaking – providing it is the type of party where micro-bangs are being cut in the corner. While Shakedown expands the duo’s horizons, it also sees the band doubling down on their emo passive aggressions. In other words, the appeal of this duo, as with bar italia, is plain to see. They are totally raw, unaffected, un-focus-grouped, with an expressive honesty that the band have perfected. Shakedown may be whiny and repetitive, but this straightforward approach – helped by some great pop songwriting – is why their toxicity translates into success.