Hong Kong’s 假日貞操 Virgin Vacation are pleased to announce their debut EP, entitled "Virgin Vacation". They are a Hong Kong-based instrumental group who use repetition and improvisation to create hypnotic, spiralling soundscapes which are constantly in flux.
The four tracks that comprise the EP are all instrumental; each has its own unique sound and character but they share characteristics of improvisation, exploration, and the mixture of electronic music with rock.
The EP kicks off with a sound collage of a woman’s voice dispassionately recounting events related to the Hong Kong protests—before being crowded out by multiple copies of itself and a rising drone, reflecting overwhelming news cycle in the city.
In Acid Rain An insistent krautrock bassline joins and stays for the next seven minutes, joining glitchy and heavily processed guitars that evoke church organ and choir over an acidic electronic beat before the track breaks down into a contrapuntal interlocking guitar duo. The track is spacious, futuristic and evocative.
5 Step is a dark and driving track that mashes up spaghetti western sounds with math rock. Intricate guitar patterns weave like tangled branches over a complex polymetrical backing (5/8 over 4/8), creating a relentless feeling of forward motion.
Third Eye changes pace, with a sliding bassline and a relaxed psychedelic riff giving way to to jazzy guitar and drum interplay, underpinned by spacey synths.
The final track, Voices reflects the more relaxed moments of Fripp and Eno. A treated guitar builds a simple melody into an exploratory, soaring improvisation before coming back down to earth. Gentle synths and guitar drones bring a meditative calm to the end of the EP.
Collaborating with one of Hong Kong’s most renowned independent comic book artists - Lai Tat Tat Wing; to illustrates and design the EP cover artwork.