Virgin Birth’s name alone has all to do with biblical history (or so it seems at first glance) so you know they’re going to slam home a ton of controversial topics. That’s that industrial / punk crossover attitude you’d expect from a couple of gents who’ve been engraved in the subject matter for quite some time. Regardless they’ve been featured on our site quite a few times so I don’t think I need to ramble too much here. Regardless, we’ve got them locked-in for this edition of INTRODUCING. Check it out.
Give us a brief about your band. Who are you and what do you do?
Virgin Birth is me (Phil Olympia) and Jake Miller. We make ugly, abrasive music with our guitars, synthesizers and drum machines. Thematically, we write songs about a number of things including corporate America, fundamentalist religion, and nuclear holocaust. You know, the kind of shit you talk about at dinner with your grandparents.
When did you first launch the project and how has it come along since?
The band started in 2022 after a number of conversations between Jake and I about our shared appreciation of 80’s and 90’s industrial music and dark electronica. We agreed to record a few demos where we did our best Ministry and Nitzer Ebb impressions. Eventually, we had enough songs to put together an EP called “The Forest.” Since then, we’ve released a full length called “Total Annihilation” and a split 7inch record with Scary Black. We continue to play regional shows as much as possible, and in 2026 we intend to play in as many towns as possible.
What bands and artists influenced you the most and why?
Lately, I’ve been heavily inspired by Big Black and The Jesus Lizard. I thought it’d be interesting to do our own industrial take on noise rock, or post hardcore. I think that really shines through on our latest track “State of the Art” which is featured on the new split 7inch record with Scary Black.
If you could pick a single song from your discography to explain your music, which song would you pick and why?
I think the song I just mentioned (“State of the Art”) is a perfect summation of what Virgin Birth is, and what the band intends to sound like moving forward. Lyrically, the song is about my burning disdain of artificial intelligence, not only in art, but as a soulless shortcut for just about anything and everything. I fucking hate it.
What is your most recent release and what is it about?
We released a full length earlier this year called “Total Annihilation” and it’s about exploring the end of the world… how it could happen, why it might happen, and how it’d feel.
Take us through your creative process. How do you compose a song from start to finish? Where do the ideas come from?
Every song is a different process. It could start as an ugly bass line, it could start as a synthesizer sequence. Sometimes it starts as a weird sample. Having said that, it doesn’t take much to get the creative energy flowing. We have a shit ton of unfinished songs and fragments. Hopefully we can get those projects finished and released sometime soon.
What’s your current favorite song, band, or album within your scene? And vice versa, what do you enjoy the most that’s completely opposite of what you make?
More Ephemeral put out a record last year called “Apotheosis Pageant” – It’s fucking SO GOOD. It’s like a modern take on The Human League, but with a darker punk edge. Every song on the record is great, there are no skips from start to finish. As far as something that’s different than what Virgin Birth does, I’m a huge Merle Haggard fan. Lately, my favorite song of his is “What Am I Gonna Do With The Rest of My Life.” I keep going back to this video from 1985 of Merle playing the song live in Austin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFmmWo63EAU
What is on the horizon for your project? Upcoming gigs, tours, merch, videos, etc. Name it, link it, show it off.
We have several hometown shows in Louisville coming up before the end of the year. In 2026, we have a bunch of regional gigs that will be announced soon. A music video for our latest song “State of the Art” will be out in the coming weeks. There are also several remixes on the way.
