Cigarettes After Sex - Cigarettes After Sex (Partisan Records) 2017
9
After the phenomenal online success of 2015’s epic song “Affection” and the subsequent re-discovery of an earlier Cigarettes After Sex EP, we’ve already knew that they were aiming for something big, but we were definitely not ready for this kind of immersive, romantic and heart-stopping cinematic approach, probably the most lyrical stripped down effort in ages.
Mainman Greg Gonzalez’s arresting and simultaneously vulnerable voice is like a dreamlike journey that guides us into memories of past loves, life itself and cinematic experiences. Perfectly balanced between Mazzy Star’s abrasive and poetic romantic dream-popesque, Red House Painters’ Down Colorful Hill sonic avalanche of emotions, Angelo Badalamenti’s edgy obscurity of Twin Peaks soundtrack and Leonard Cohen’s Chelsea Hotel raw and moving direction, Cigarettes After Sex self-titled debut is addictive, boldly dark, striking confessional and audacious sexualised.
Clearly influenced by The Smiths and Morrissey’s lyrical approach, Gonzalez’s words makes you think they are very straightforward and detailed, like cinematic stories of adult life with an imaginative and intellectual twist.