Divides

The Virginmarys pull no punches on their second full-length album; Divides seethes with the kind of gloriously ragged, punk-edged rock that filled their breakthrough debut album, King of Conflict. But the UK trio's followup is somehow bigger than their first—layered with high-volume guitars and echoing vocals calibrated to make ears ring in the arena’s back row. With its pointed social commentary, “Motherless Land” is one of the album’s most intense highlights, but other blistering tracks, like “Walk in My Shoes,” or “Halo in Her Silhouette,” hit just as hard, combining huge guitars and shout-along choruses to recall high-volume ‘70s rock icons.