Mixing the power of the grunge era with the vigor of punk, the Virginmarys craft driving hard rock reminiscent of Arctic Monkeys and Foo Fighters. Debuting at the close of the 2010s, they issued a pair of EPs before scoring a minor hit with the raucous single "Just a Ride." Their debut, King of Conflict, landed in 2013 and was followed by 2016's Divides and 2018's Northern Sun Sessions. Formed in Macclesfield, England in 2006 by singer and guitarist Ally Dickaty, bassist Chris Birdsall, and drummer Danny Dolan, the band set out to create intelligent hard rock that could be visceral and fun without being meatheaded. The original lineup was short-lived, however, with bassist Matt Rose taking over for Birdsall in 2009, but the years that followed saw the band release a string of EPs: 2010's Cast the First Stone, 2011's Just a Ride and Portrait of Red, and 2012's Dead Man's Shoes. Their first proper full-length, King of Conflict, arrived in 2013 on Wind-up Records to critical acclaim. Boosted by the success of single "Just a Ride," the album peaked in the Top 100 in the U.K. and in the Top 10 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. In 2015 the band issued the single, "Dust," in anticipation of their sophomore studio long-player, Divides, which dropped in early 2016. While on tour in the U.K. in 2017, they released the standalone single "Sweet Loretta (You Know Me Better)." Their third set, Northern Sun Sessions, landed in 2018, with a deluxe edition repackaged with acoustic versions arriving a year later. ~ Gregory Heaney