The Virgins

Formed in 2006 by lead vocalist and songwriter Donald Cumming, New York City’s the Virgins fused modern indie textures with the late-’70s new-wave edge of Talking Heads and the Modern Lovers. A lifelong New Yorker, Cumming spent his adolescence in Tribeca and became a regular at Don Hill’s, where the club’s popular ’80s Night shaped his early tastes. He also worked as a model for photographer Ryan McGinley, whose candid portraits of the city’s young scene earned a first Whitney Museum of American Art exhibition that included images of Cumming. During a McGinley shoot in Mexico, Cumming connected with guitarist Wade Oates; bassist Nick Zarin-Ackerman and drummer Erik Ratensperger soon completed the lineup. Without any live performances, the quartet issued a self-titled EP in 2007 that drew favorable notice. Only two loft-party appearances preceded their third show—a high-profile Paris Fashion Week showcase alongside Patti Smith and Sonic Youth. Extensive touring followed, including club dates and support slots for Mark Ronson, Tokyo Police Club, and Tapes ’n Tapes; that exposure prompted the Gossip Girl producers to place the Virgins’ songs in an episode. Atlantic Records signed the band, and producers S*A*M & Sluggo oversaw sessions for the self-titled debut album, issued in June 2008 and steeped in new-wave atmosphere and rock swagger. The record yielded national television spots on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Late Show with David Letterman, and later Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. After years of festival appearances, further touring, and several lineup shifts that left Cumming as sole remaining original member, the Virgins delivered their second album, Strike Gently, on Cult Records in 2013. Additional road work ensued, among them opening dates for the Killers that included a Madison Square Garden performance in New York City. In late 2013 Cumming disclosed the group’s dissolution and his plans to continue as a solo artist.