Greg Gonzalez’s current musical conception, Cigarettes After Sex initially formed in El Paso, Texas back in 2008 before making the leapfrog to Brooklyn, New York. From here, the ambient, atmospheric-pop has swarmed and swooned through ears all around the United States and Europe with their most recent EP, I. which garnered the group widespread criticism. I. which was let loose in 2012 was recorded in a stairwell through one single night in April of that year, it took in claustrophobic recording aesthetics which mirror and match the equally tense sound, a sound that takes from the likes of Cocteau Twins, Majical Cloudz and Low. The fuzzy blanket of Cigarettes After Sex was set to wrap its warm hands around a sold out BLEACH venue on a Sunday night that needed a bit of temperature. The intimate, brooding drone was to see the week to a final close and it was, well, perfect.

Ready to display the ethereal, graceful sounds coined on their EP, Cigarettes For Sex entered onstage at around 10pm, Phillip Tubbs on the synthesiser sported an interesting flamingo jersey that could only bow to the endearing charm they were set to capture. After arriving onstage to warm raptures from the crowd, they effortlessly commanded a stark silence that descended as eager eyes peered upwards towards Gonzalez and co, waiting eagerly for the delicate dream-pop to wash over them. Gonzalez greeted the crowd in a shy fashion that could only let you warm towards them more so – this being testament to his relatively recent online blow-up and his ability to capture every individual’s love for something romantic.

The five minute long lull of their latest single ‘Affection’ takes off perfectly from where I. left us all those years ago. It was a characteristic return for the group late last year and at BLEACH tonight, every aspect of the haunting croon is captured and resonated in the perfect manner. Gonzalez’s lullaby voice rings around the venue and the crowd mutter along, careful not to mask his voice as he harks the line: “What does it mean / If I tell you to go fuck yourself.” The cathedral wash over his guitar and voice add a pensive gloom that captures his haunting charm so eloquently. That’s the thing about ambient dream-pop like this, it often precariously treads between ambivalence and utter monotony – see the likes who have missed the mark slightly like Swim Deep. Cigarettes For Sex however have found their perfect groove through the sparse terrain, allowing for them to add tender hooks into music that begs so desperately for the minimal approach.

Songs such as ‘Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby’ personify the need for security that everyone holds somewhere deep down. This song in particular captures a large crowd sing along as punters mumble along in unison – it begins to unravel exactly what the appeal of Cigarettes After Sex is. The music comes together with the hush of Gonzalez’s lyricism and wise voice, it’s angelic and poised at all times however, it is this alluring nature that allows you to feel close to the music. There’s an interesting sentiment wrapped up in the whole experience that plays so heavily on human emotion, it’s transportive and takes you to a space that is seldom reached asides from when you are asleep. ‘Keep On Loving You’ emphasises this feeling, bathing you in music that allows you to romanticise, melting even the stoniest of hearts as intricate guitar melodies tie around engulfing synth and slow, hypnotic drumming patterns. The androgynous voice of Gonzalez places you in a sleep state before you even realise it, it possesses the potential to knock anyone out, taking to you like a bottle of red wine for those who struggle with sleep. The cathartic nature of Gonzalez’s poetry wrapped within ‘I’m a Firefighter’ carries sentiment that rings with anyone who has experienced love or is looking for it:

‘That's called the Falling Angel
It's an amusement park ride
Some sort of rollercoaster
It takes you up & when it brings you down it gives you butterflies’

It is this notion that stuns the crowd at BLEACH time and time again – each time recoiling a different expression on the face of audience members who appear so caught in the moment. The music produced by Cigarettes For Sex acts as the perfect, minimal background to Gonzalez’s romanticised vocals that echo Nick Cave’s less r-rated material.

Cigarettes For Sex tiptoed through a patient and calm crowd in need of some love and tender care from the bitter weather outside. The delicacy and intricacy played so beautifully with the emotions of everyone in the room tonight, each person feeling value and worth and a hour long set skipped by before anybody really realised. Cigarettes For Sex return to Patterns during The Great Escape, you should make sure you catch them.
Tom Churchill

Website: cigarettesaftersex.com
Facebook: facebook.com/CigarettesAfterSex
Twitter: twitter.com/cigsaftersexx