STRETCHING and shrugging off their deep sleep, Cigarettes After Sex have awoken to deliver a devilishly ambient and long-awaited debut album. The American dream pop quartet have kept fans on tenterhooks since their shoegazing 2012 single ‘Nothing Gonna Hurt You’ and will finally release their self-titled maiden LP on Partisan Records.
Due on the 9th June, the Texas four-piece toy and cajole epic soundscapes across ten tracks, with the album’s first single ‘K.’ and twisted love song ‘Opera House’ serving as very clear standouts. Spacious and ambient ‘K’ opens with a fumble of bass, a haunting riff and a delicate strum of acoustic guitar. Frontman Greg Gonzalez recounts a tale of unrequited love chasing itself across New York City, a place synonymous with the band after their relocation from the South.
‘Opera House’ builds slowly, threatening a cathartic explosion before the soft chime of cymbal and ivory make way for a torturous love ballad. Gonzalez lightly croons “I’ve got a love for you I just can’t escape, all of my love for you cuts like barbed wire.” Tinged with pain and regret, it is undoubtedly the most introspective song on Cigarettes After Sex.
Relief comes in the form of ‘Sunsetz’, an uplifting pop song clocking in under the four-minute mark, the only track on the record to do so. As hazy as The War On Drugs but with the pop-sensibility of Scots dream pop heroes Cocteau Twins, ‘Sunsetz’ is sweet and conventionally melodic.
‘Sweet’ too at its core is romantic and heart-warming with a delicious strutting bass line. Gonzalez proudly declares “I would gladly break my heart for you” over luscious, bending licks of guitar. Gonzalez explores his vocal range and musicality on ‘Apocalypse’ as the sentimental malaise and ethereal vibes continue. Breaking down into an almost funk-laden rhyme, Cigarettes After Sex veer slightly from the formula on ‘Apocalypse’.
Dark and brooding ‘Flash’ is a refreshing mid-album jolt as the individualism of each song begins gets lost in the atmospheric mist. Yet, that is what is most appealing about Cigarettes After Sex, you can very easily get lost in the music.
‘Each Time You Fall In Love’, ‘Truly’, ‘John Wayne’ and ‘Young & Dumb’ follow much the same methodology as Cigarettes After Sex’s big-hitting tracks, but with less venom.
Non-descript enough to fade into the background, but enchanting enough to whip up a frenzy, Cigarettes After Sex has the ability to take the listener to exactly where they need to be at any give time.
Derivative and droning at times, Cigarettes After Sex does have its drawbacks, but overall it packs a punch that reaches deep into the soul. Truly captivating music.