Author: Emma Weaver
Cigarettes after sex? No, not the craved aesthetic of all post film noir, indie films. Cigarettes After Sex is the aesthetically pleasing, genre distorting band whose voluptuous, carefree sound emerges through each song as glistens of pop transpire.
This is a dreamy band, dragging in the very notions of pain, love, and depth. Cigarettes After Sex makes you feel things, and whether it’s their rather dark libido-ness or Greg Gonzalez’s steamy seductive voice alongside an atmospheric, ambient substance, there is something to gain and hold on to very closely when listening to them.
This band was almost an accident. Formed in 2008 by singer-songwriter Greg Gonzalez, Cigarettes After Sex was simply Gonzalez experimenting with audio recording at the University of Texas, while he was in a four-story stairwell. This was where he recorded his first EP, I. Ifeatures “Dreaming of You”, “Starry Eyes”, “I’m a Firefighter”, and their most famous song, “Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby”. This EP introduced Gonzalez’s modern love take, underneath the gleaming and glistening of dream pop. The sound is intense, and the lyrics simple. While his vocals capture a washed out echo, moving back and forth between emotions, the lyrics are something we can all grasp. We hear the love falling off his tongue, just as if it was our own. Gonzalez has this androgynous voice, that forms the center of the band. Everything is centralized around his powerful voice. As the guitar, drums, synth—you name it!—fade in and out, his voice remains this ethereal constant. Imagine if Rhye and Beach House had a more muscular, rougher baby.
Gonzalez eventually moved to Brooklyn, NY, and continued to work on the band and its music. At this time, he had enlisted the help of many collaborators including Steve Herrada, Phillip Tubbs, Randy Miller, Jacob Tomsky, Greg Leeah, and Emily Davis. Between 2015 to 2017, they released a few singles, in addition to their first and currently only album, Cigarettes After Sex. Some of their singles include “Affection” and “K.”.
Their self-titled album yet again captures modern love paired alongside a relatively modern life. With songs like “K.” or “Young & Dumb”,Cigarettes After Sexcaptures the millennial based vapidity through their very own validity. While they have an overall constancy in their sound, Cigarettes After Sex still maintains to showcase their melange of moods and sub genres. The album shows their prowess in all things alternative, with heavy riffs and snares, but then shifts over to dreamy aspects, with songs such as “Sunsetz” and “Opera House”. They fall on a spectrum with the foundation of musical fusion. One minute I hear bits and pieces of Cocteau Twins, then Beach House, then Cowboy Junkies…
Cigarettes After Sex is restrained, but in a very unique way. Their sound is a bittersweet emulation, and a refreshing tantalization. We hear the past in their music, while simultaneously being introduced to some aspects of music’s future. Their lyrics pick apart some semblance of depth within us, and whether listening for a brief moment, or for an entire day, the songs are a ripe source of vision. They sing…
And when the you go away, I still see you/The sunlight on your face in my rear view/This always happens to me this way/Recurring visions of such sweet days.
Or…
And you’ve got to do the right thing, do the right thing, baby/You’re the white swan in the photograph/Do the right thing, do the right thing, baby/You’re the white swan in the photograph.
They are loose and heavy. Somber and sweet. Electric yet restrained. They are an entity formed within constant contradictions, and they possess such an aching relationship with the world around them.
“This is like the novel or feature-length version of Cigarettes. I wanted it to feel like a complete work, where some of the imagery repeats – like it’s all in the same world. It’s very much a fulfillment of the feelings in the short works,” according to Gonzalez, when discussing their newest album.
April 23rd, Cigarettes After Sex will be gracing Seattle with their presence at the Neptune Theatre. Doors open at 7:00 PM and the show will start at 8:00 PM.
You can follow them on social media here: Official Website | Twitter | Facebook.
EMMA WEAVER | KXSU Music Reporter