Nots

“Virgin Mary” is the synth-induced followup single to Nots’ debut LP, We Are Nots. Recorded half on Natalie Hoffmann’s four-track in the industrial dazed storage unit where the band practices, and half in Burgundy Studios with Keith Cooper (the rock ’n’ roll warlock responsible for capturing the two previous Nots 45-RPM assaults), “Virgin Mary” delivers hellish synth and guitar that swirls around the hypnotic rhythm section as the band simmers into the sonic void. 
 
“[‘Virgin Mary’] finds the band back in the studio with Keith Cooper, the guy who recorded their first two singles. While it certainly sounds like a Nots song, there’s a significant departure from We Are Nots: Alexandra Eastburn’s synthesizer isn’t centrally responsible for the song’s melody. Instead, it burbles in the background, giving the track an unsettling and celestial undertone. And Natalie Hoffmann’s voice howls, her ever-unsteady and unpredictable guitar needles into the frame. Here, the rhythm section, Charlotte Watson and Madison Farmer, come off as the track’s ever-churning center. Nots aren’t exactly reinventing themselves—it’s familiar, but feels new. If this is a portent of their next moves, though, the impending chaos ought to be interesting.” —Pitchfork