Cigarettes After Sex, for me have been sort of an anomaly in the indie world. They released their "I" EP all the way back in 2012. This EP was a sweet, interesting start for the band. They had a sound that incorporated Dream Pop with some older Shoegaze sound's as well, fans of Mazzy Star really ought to check this EP out. But almost immediately after, Cigarettes After Sex slowed down. Like, they almost stopped touring altogether, and didn't have a full length album in sight. But after 5 years of silence, I really didn't think anything else would come of this project. Nonetheless, here we are all these years later with a new, full length album. The singles so far, have been pretty sweet and enjoyable. Let's talk about this Cigarettes After Sex album!
This album starts off with a seriously fantastic string of tracks, starting with the album’s opener “K.”. I love the seriously vast atmosphere on this one, mostly that incredibly nocturnal synth line that’s oddly sexy. And that’s honestly where I think Cigarettes After Sex really set themselves apart from other Dream Pop/Shoegaze bands, that serous sense of lust and the steamy lyrics. There are some straight up Shoegaze and Dream Pop elements here as well, but in Cigarettes After Sex’s vocals, they bring in some seriously human elements. The vocals, presented by Greg Gonzalez, are often very cautious sounding and are very soft. It’s very hip, and it’s something that we really haven’t heard in these genres in a long time. “K.” is a very patient dream pop song, like some of the best tracks in this genre are, with each instrumental seriously not in any rush at all to wow us. But the distant guitar lines, the brooding drumming, and other parts of this instrumental make it a very stunning introduction. Then we have my favorite track here, “Each Time You Fall In Live”, and let me tell you, I instantly love the very swirling atmosphere on this one. I feel like Cigarettes After Sex also take a lot of their influence for their atmosphere from Jazz and Post Bop, as well as even Angelo Badalamenti’s “Twin Peaks” soundtrack. It’s seriously breathtaking, but more than anything, it’s also seriously dark. And that’s something I really haven’t heard from Dream Pop or Shoegaze in a really long time. I love how delicate each vocal instrumental is, and the gigantic atmosphere on this one is incredibly hypnotizing. But as far as it gets throughout, it’s almost inviting in a very sinister way. Anyways, I love absolutely everything about “Each Time You Fall In Love”, and it’s seriously a great single for the band. But as far as a non-single favorite track of the album goes, I would have to go to “Sunsetz” by far. I love the very jangly guitars on the intro to this one, and they way they quickly sweep into this very hypnotic opening verse. There is just so much great imagery in these lyrics, and in between these very encapsulating atmospheres it’s so easy to get caught up in them. Not to mention, as far as a chorus goes, this is easily the most catchy one presented on the entire album. “Sunsetz” is just so sweet and beautiful that it’s hard to say no to. But the Shoegaze influence deep down continues to be a huge factor to their music, and brings it all together really nicely. Up next we have “Apocalypse”, which sounds like it very easily could have been on Beach House’s “Bloom” album. Once again the sound of this track is just so sweet and delicate, and I love the very short and catchy vocals on this one. That ridiculous sense of lust and more importantly a sense of longing is back with a vengeance in these lyrics, which dives into a relationship that seems to have evolved and finally come about since two people’s teen year. But there’s also a strange sense of danger once again very deep down that I can’t seem to shake. But I love it all, it’s seriously fresh for the Dream Pop genre. So far, this album has been seriously refreshing.
For the most part, this debut is pretty solid. But there are more boring moments on here, like “Flash”. This one is seriously all about atmosphere. As far as the atmosphere alone here goes, it’s seriously dark once again. But while it’s a very thick atmosphere, it kinda dies out during the verses, to the point where they’re a little too bare. I feel like Greg Gonzalez’s vocals are best when working up against these very stunning instrumentals. Not to mention, the chorus here is easily one of the most repetitive and underwritten of the entire album. There are parts of “Flash” that I seriously do love however, like the very dreary lyrics of the verses as well as the dreamy guitars on the hook. Thankfully, Cigarettes After Sex take a HUGE step in the right direction with “Sweet”. I feel like the overtly sexual lyrics here gives this a very steamy atmosphere, but there’s also oddly enough a lot of really sweet and sentimental moments on this one as well. The pacing on “Sweet” is to die for, as the verses sort of have this waltz feel to them, mostly do to the very hypnotic bass. When Dream Pop tunes like this really get going and REALLY get that atmosphere done right, I feel like they transport you to some super hip bar with seriously cool lights all around. That’s what “Sweet” does, and it’s brilliant. Sadly though, Cigarettes After Sex follow that up with “Opera House”. This one starts off with a seriously cold intro. Thankfully, as this one goes on it does get a little warmer, but my issue on this one in the pacing. To be perfectly honest, the pacing on this one makes this by far the most sluggish and quite frankly boring track here. But even as far as the vocal delivery goes, this one really doesn’t fit the rest of the album. So far, this has been an album ruled by Lust and Romance, and while those are both certainly here, it really doesn’t come off as the same beast at all. Everything about “Opera House” just seems so off, especially on the mixing, I often feel like the instrumentals are really not where they should be. Take for example that acoustic guitar on the chorus that pops in and clashes with everything else. If one track on the album really shouldn't have made the cut, it’s this one. Thankfully, “Truly” get’s that right back on track quickly with a much hazier and dreamier atmosphere compared to the coldness of the last one. Lyrically, this is right back to that seriously steamy sound we were introduced to earlier, and the instrumentals go back to being very vibrant and lush sounding. Now, you can certainly argue that a lot of these tracks are repetitive, and trust me they certainly are. But it’s just so damn beautiful. I love how the instrumentals are just constantly out of reach, forcing your focus to remain constantly on the very sexual lyrics and performance of Greg Gonzalez. “Truly” is beautiful, and while it’s not nearly as hypnotic and overwhelming as earlier tracks, I’m certainly into it.
Now, as far as a seriously sluggish track goes, “John Wayne” doesn't come off THAT bad. It certainly has a little meat to it, and it has the sexy atmosphere and hypnotic riffs down. But to be honest, as alright as this one is, I feel like I need a little switch-up from Cigarettes After Sex. Which I do eventually get in some of the strummed guitar chords on the chorus. But for me, “John Wayne” is a little too repetitive for my liking. Plus, I feel like I’ve heard this exact performance on about 5 other tracks here, lyrically and instrumentally. It’s not horrible, but I did expect a little bit more from “John Wayne”. Thankfully, Cigarettes After Sex” pull it together for the finale, “Young & Dumb”. Instantly this track is so much more engaging, due to an atmosphere that’s just so much more engulfing, some jazzy bass lines, and some stunning guitars. Lyrically, I can tell that a lot of people are going to get tired of these very steamy jams over and over. But for me, honestly I feel like it’s a sound that are seriously great at coming off with. Also, “Young & Dumb” switches things up lyrically by not beating around any bushes on this one. Like seriously, this track is straight up nasty and ridiculously sexual. But to be honest, it ends up being a really memorable ending believe it or not. This is solid debut album for Cigarettes After Sex. BUT, this project can very quickly get a whole lot more boring in the future if they don’t mix things up a little.
Rating: 7.8/10
Give A Listen To: “Each Time You Fall In Love”, “Sunsetz”, “Sweet”, "Young & Dumb"
Overall Thoughts: After teasing a proper release for year, Cigarettes After Sex come through with a pretty damn decent full length debut. The music on here is often very dream like, hazy, and steamy. However, Cigarettes After Sex do find their own niche in the Dream Pop genre with the occasional sense of darkness in their music, as well as bringing in elements of Shoegaze. However, they do need to learn how to mix it up a little more, because there are a few tracks on here that are super repetitive.
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