Photo Cred: Ebru Yildiz
2017 Self-Titled Debut Album Goes Platinum (US), “Apocalypse” Reaches 1 Billion Streams on Spotify
Cigarettes After Sex – “Motion Picture Soundtrack” (Radiohead Cover) Stream
Cigarettes After Sex – “Bubblegum” / “Stop Waiting” Stream
Cigarettes After Sex – “Pistol” Stream
Cigarettes After Sex – Limited Edition Self-Titled LP Release Purchase
The ever-prolific Cigarettes After Sex are closing out a year of stellar accomplishments — including surpassing 7 Billion total streams across platforms and selling out their biggest headline tour to date, which included the 13k capacity Forest Hills Stadium in NYC — with the release of their transcendent version of Radiohead‘s underrated Kid A cut, “Motion Picture Soundtrack.” Their take on the track colors Radiohead’s dystopian meditation on death and the afterlife with a blush of gauzy, romantic dream-pop that has become Cigarettes After Sex’s signature.
As bandleader Greg Gonzales wrote:
“I first heard a version of this song that was just solo voice & guitar, recorded live at a show in 1997. I love how they transformed it for the finished song they did years later, but there was something about the simplicity of that original stripped down recording that always stuck with me. I wanted our version to try to capture that feeling somehow & focus on the beautiful sadness & romance I heard in the lyrics. We actually recorded this in 2015 on the same day as ‘Affection’ and our covers of ‘Keep On Loving You’ and ‘Neon Moon,’ but it somehow didn’t feel completely right to release it until now. Luckily, the song has only become more personal to me over the years & I’m truly glad it’s finally coming out…”
Earlier this year, Cigarettes After Sex released a pair of original singles entitled “Bubblegum” and “Stop Waiting.” As seen with both cuts, syrupy, sensual, subterranean dream-pop is set against vocals from bandleader Greg Gonzalez that walk the subtle line between croon and whisper. The songs are a perfect distillation of the starry-eyed atmosphere that the band has claimed as their signature in the six years since the release of their globally successful self-titled debut.Behind billions of streams and hit singles, Cigarettes After Sex continue to defy what it means to be one of the biggest cult bands in the world. Five years on from the release of their breakout self-titled debut (which also re-entered Top 200 charts globally this year and just last week, went Platinum in the US) and their acclaimed follow-up Cry (2019), they have recently seen several viral moments on TikTok unlock new levels of audience growth and album sales. For example, this month, their track “Apocalypse” hit over 1 Billion streams on Spotify alone. With 8.8M+ followers and 20M monthly listeners and climbing, they are also currently the 305th highest streamed artist on Spotify.
The music of Cigarettes After Sex invokes not only the powerful feelings of euphoria inherent in the band’s name itself, but somehow manages to recreate emotions found only in the most romantic of movies; immersive, achingly nostalgic, thoroughly transporting, and intensely visual. It’s these powerful and unique qualities which have enabled the love songs of Cigarettes After Sex to reverberate across countless countries, and excite the most devoted kind of following.The band’s catalog has sold over 4.4 Million records to date, amassing 7 Billion streams, over 20 Million monthly listeners on Spotify, and over 2.8 Billion YouTube views. The band’s list of on-the-record fans include everyone from Taylor Swift, Kylie Jenner, David Lynch, Lana Del Rey, Françoise Hardy, Lily Allen, Busy Philipps, and more. They’ve been featured in Vice Noisey, V Magazine, Interview, NPR’s Tiny Desk, and their music has appeared in The Handmaid’s Tale and Killing Eve, in addition to Ralph Lauren and Gucci ads.
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