CIGARETTES AFTER SEX Vinyl & CDs

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Cigarettes After Sex returns with their third album, X's, via Partisan Records, marking a departure from their previous influences and embracing pop touchstones of the 70s and 80s. Bandleader Greg Gonzalez delves into the intricacies of a four-year relationship, delivering raw and imagistic vignettes set to slowburn pop melodies. With brutal intensity, Gonzalez purges his emotions, centering the album on this singular romantic arc, infusing their music with dark yet burgeoning melodies. While retaining classic pop song structures, Cigarettes After Sex subtly evolves their sound, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of disco ball-refracted tears on the dance floor. X's presents a mesmerizing and emotionally resonant journey through the complexities of love and loss, the band's continued growth and maturity is on full display.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Cigarettes After Sex's X's is the dreamy indie pop band's third album, following 2019's Cry, and hears a wistful array of new songs drawing on the same palette as ever, but with nonetheless a newfound personal bent drawing on the breakdown of a relationship and a move between cities undergone by lead singer Greg Gonzales. With every influence from Texan blues and Tejano music - the likes of Selena, Los Angeles Azules and La Mafia - to esteemd dream poppers Cocteau Twins, this is a fresh new fusion from the hypnagogic hopeless-romantics, sure to sate existing fans and draw in new ones alike.

Review: Cigarettes After Sex's X's presents a stunning trip through raw, emotive storytelling set to entrancing pop melodies. Centered on a four-year relationship, the album delves deep into the complexities of love and loss, offering poignant and sometimes provocative vignettes. Greg Gonzalez's songwriting captures the essence of romantic emotions, creating a cinematic experience for listeners. Departing from their earlier influences, the band embraces a 70s/80s slow dance vibe, infusing their music with a disco-era melancholy that feels both nostalgic and contemporary. With its lush, dreamy soundscapes and introspective lyrics, X's will be another well received album from their catalogue. The cassette version adds a nostalgic touch to this already exciting listening experience.

Review: Cigarettes After Sex returns with their third album, X's, via Partisan Records, marking a departure from their previous influences and embracing pop touchstones of the 70s and 80s. Bandleader Greg Gonzalez delves into the intricacies of a four-year relationship, delivering raw and imagistic vignettes set to slowburn pop melodies. With brutal intensity, Gonzalez purges his emotions, centering the album on this singular romantic arc, infusing their music with dark yet burgeoning melodies. While retaining classic pop song structures, Cigarettes After Sex subtly evolves their sound, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of disco ball-refracted tears on the dance floor. X's presents a mesmerizing and emotionally resonant journey through the complexities of love and loss, the band's continued growth and maturity is on full display.

Review: Monochrome dream pop band Cigarettes After Sex release their third studio album X's, following up the pre-release 'Tejano Blue'. As romantic and wistful as ever, the album is an avowed haunt-jaunt through a series of 'slow-dance pop ballads' - no change there - albeit this time concerning the brutal reckoning with relationship breakdown and loss, personally borne by lead musician Greg Gonzalez during the recording of their prior self-titled album. Also a lover letter to Gonzalez' hometown of El Paso, Texas, the album draws on themes of the music scene and atmosphere of the city, in dialogue with a subsequent move to New York and the culture shock that followed.

Review: Cigarettes After Sex's X's is the dreamy indie pop band's third album, following 2019's Cry, and hears a wistful array of new songs drawing on the same palette as ever, but with nonetheless a newfound personal bent drawing on the breakdown of a relationship and a move between cities undergone by lead singer Greg Gonzales. With every influence from Texan blues and Tejano music - the likes of Selena, Los Angeles Azules and La Mafia - to esteemd dream poppers Cocteau Twins, this is a fresh new fusion from the hypnagogic hopeless-romantics, sure to sate existing fans and draw in new ones alike.

Review: Washed-out gothic dream-popstars Cigarettes After Sex deliver their latest album, X's, building on the now prolific body of work that has so far propelled the band's lead brain Greg Gonzalez to fame. Whereas prior projects under the CAS ambit have revolved around only isolated vignettes of a hazy and monochrome - but decidedly sexual - nature, X's is the band's first record concerning a single relationship: the pain of losing an LTR, in stark contrast the string of sonic flings that came before. Led by the careful straddling of romantic fantasy and grimmer, nicotine-stained realities on 'Dark Vacay', such is the overarching mood; of sex amounting to a futile attempt to overcome the end of loving communication, and cigarettes plugging the hole that arises from this.

Review: Everyone's favourite dream pop slow-jammers Cigarettes After Sex return with two new singles on a single 12" record. On the heads, we've got 'Bubblegum', a kinky but mournful head-plodder, which concerns the object of their affections taking on a Russian-roulette-ish approach to sex and relationships. The tail-side's 'Stop Waiting', meanwhile, is ever-more hypnotic, and clearly intends to be the hidden gem of the two. You'll hear a slightly brighter and more optimistic song than the A-side, but it's still deeply morunful, with Greg Gonzalez singing of the faded memories of cut ties, sunscreen and summer dresses.

Review: Cigarettes After Sex front man Greg Gonzalez puts his lovely voice front and centre on this atmospheric dream pop record as he works his way through a series of different fantasies. The record features a number of rather out-datedly objectified women who add sensual sounds but if you can get past that there is some fine candour and shadowy textures on this noir-pop long player. The influxes of the 90s indie pop sound looms large over the record as objects such as anime porn come and go.

Review: With the combination of band name and album title this one's always going to be a bit of a tearjerker, packed with self-reflection and self-loathing. No regrets, though, as Greg Gonzalez muses on sensuality, the loss of those we care about, the loss of self to another and the endless yearning of the human heart. Shades of Lord Huron and a wealth of gloomy shoegazers can be felt, but even though "Cry" represents a next step for Cigarettes After Sex - edging into more minimalistic territories - it's still immediately identifiable as this band, and so won't fail to instantly resonate with avid fans. Packed with an exquisite, opiate balladry at once heartfelt and heartbroken, it's hard to tell whether this is exactly what you need to hear when living through your blue period or precisely what you shouldn't listen to. Either way, it's quiet impact is immense.

Review: With the combination of band name and album title this one's always going to be a bit of a tearjerker, packed with self-reflection and self-loathing. No regrets, though, as Greg Gonzalez muses on sensuality, the loss of those we care about, the loss of self to another and the endless yearning of the human heart. Shades of Lord Huron and a wealth of gloomy shoegazers can be felt, but even though "Cry" represents a next step for Cigarettes After Sex - edging into more minimalistic territories - it's still immediately identifiable as this band, and so won't fail to instantly resonate with avid fans. Packed with an exquisite, opiate balladry at once heartfelt and heartbroken, it's hard to tell whether this is exactly what you need to hear when living through your blue period or precisely what you shouldn't listen to. Either way, it's quiet impact is immense.

Review: The last ten years have seen no shortage of bands with their delay pedals set to stun intent on capturing an aura of dreamlike radiance. Yet Texas 'pop-noir' troupe Cigarettes After Sex are no ordinary shoegazers, for a variety of reasons - frontman Greg Gonzalez' androgynous and dulcet tones may be part of the appeal, yet moreover it's the quality of the songwriting here, which never falls prey to the style-over-substance traps of their peers. Indeed, this debut is more than enough to justify the considerable hype around this outfit, being a collection of ditties as sultry as they are atmopsheric.

Review: The last ten years have seen no shortage of bands with their delay pedals set to stun intent on capturing an aura of dreamlike radiance. Yet Texas 'pop-noir' troupe Cigarettes After Sex are no ordinary shoegazers, for a variety of reasons - frontman Greg Gonzalez' androgynous and dulcet tones may be part of the appeal, yet moreover it's the quality of the songwriting here, which never falls prey to the style-over-substance traps of their peers. Indeed, this debut is more than enough to justify the considerable hype around this outfit, being a collection of ditties as sultry as they are atmopsheric.