Cigarettes After Sex is a Brooklyn-based band from El Paso, Texas. Despite having been together since 2008 and then releasing their first EP in 2012 called I. the band only recently found stardom (on You Tube, actually) and since then has been on tour all over the world.
Cigarettes After Sex is described as “ambient pop” music. And yes, that’s their sound. But there’s something about their songs that sound like a watercolor dream–mysterious, romantic, and passionately intense. You can hear a dash of Mazzy Star in there, and at times Red House Painters, but no matter what song you’re listening to from their small collection, they all sound cohesive, never jumping too far from their original sound or trying to be too experimental to try to impress their sudden fanbase.
The songs “Affection” and “Keep on Loving You” were released in 2015, followed by a single called “K” just this year. Frontman Greg Gonzalez’s lyrics might be simple, but in that whirl of music, singing so soft and slow, he transforms those lyrics into pure heartfelt poetry. “I know that you say I get mean when I’m drinking. But then again sometimes I get really sweet. So what does it mean if I tell you to go fuck yourself or if I say that you’re beautiful to me?” It’s a feeling that the band evokes, really–one that’s mesmerizing and introspective and just plain pretty.
Music Hall of Williamsburg
1/25
9 p.m.
w/ Libsyd Read
$16
axs.com
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