Cigarettes After Sex is like Beach House, only better.
The band, originally formed in El Paso and now residing in Brooklyn, has all the same thematic elements as Beach House and The Japanese House, but they are a step up from the same old indie band.
The self-titled, full-length record that Cigarettes After Sex released this year proved its worth and cemented its status as the best synth-pop band on the radar right now. The band knows how to compose a captivating minor-key melody, but it’s lyrics are what hooked me.
“Each time you fall in love/It's clearly not enough/You sleep all day and drive out in L.A/It isn't safe,” lead singer, Greg Gonzalez, sings in the second track on the band’s new record, “And each time you kiss a girl/You never know what it's worth/You say all of the words they wanna hear/It isn't real.”
Cigarettes After Sex proclaimed its identity and stuck to it. Even its love songs are melancholy. The songwriting is eloquent and there are hidden gems of lyrics in every single song on the album.
“Sharing all your secrets with each other since you were kids/sleeping soundly with the locket that she gave you clutched in your fist,” Gonzalez sings on one of the more haunting tracks on the record, “Apocalypse.”
Gonzalez crafts the sort of stories with his lyrics that make you ponder life. He dives deeper than the tired rhetoric of the highs and lows of relationships. He’s honest, depressed and lost, while simultaneously being sure in the dispositions he creates in his song’s protagonists. The descriptions are vivid and everything has a dark tint to it.
Cigarettes After Sex craft the sort of soothing, lullaby-like songs that are perfect for background music as you cram for finals. That being said, because of Gonzalez’s lyrical ability and genuine perspective, the band’s product is not as repetitive and boring as band’s like Beach House’s albums can be.
The band has a special sort of seduction that few have mastered. Each song on their 2017 release is just the right amount of alluring.
My recommendations for samples of the new album are as follows. If you’re listening for the first time, “K.” is the perfect track to pull you in. If you’re in your feels, try “Opera House.” When you’re driving, play “Young & Dumb.”
Halle Weber is a sophomore studying journalism with a focus in news and information at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you like Cigarettes After Sex? Let Halle know by tweeting at her @HalleWeber13.
