Cigarettes After Sex

One Liner: Dreamy pop rock that inexplicably has a jillion streams.

Wikipedia Genre: Dream pop, shoegaze, ambient pop, slowcore, indie rock

Home: El Paso

Poster Position: Level 2 (3) 
Both Weekends.
Sunday.

Thoughts:  This is definitely one of those moments when I feel left behind by the world around me.  I was driving up to Dallas a few weeks ago, and trying to remember some things from the ACL poster that I could throw on to try out as I drove.  This band's name is very memorable, so I tossed it on.  And oh. my. good. Lord. it was time for a nap.  How in the absolute hell could this band have BILLIONS of streams?  Without adding them up exactly, their top ten tunes have either more than or close to two billion combined streams.  And yet the music sounds like someone really liked that one Mazzy Star song and just kept trying to recreate it.  How is this so popular and what is it doing on the third line of my ACL poster?

Also, El Paso?  Huh?  Also, the lead singer is apparently a dude named Greg Gonzalez, despite this very much sounding like a woman doing the singing.  Fascinating.  Gonzalez apparently recorded the first EP in a stairwell at the University of Texas El Paso.  He then moved to Brooklyn and released his first proper album in 2017.  Wikipedia says that they cite Cowboy Junkies as an influence, and I totally hear that as well.  Still I have no clue what this is doing up here on the third line.  I'd normally blame TikTok, but I can't imagine a bunch of sadcore slow ass videos of people mouthing these depressing-sounding tunes?

Top tune is "Apocalypse," from that first 2017 album, with 796.3 million streams.  How?

I honestly cannot believe that is a dude.  I hope that is not somehow sexist or something, but for real that is really wild that this is not a droll French lady who is singing these lyrics like she doesn't care.  The other top songs are mostly from that oldest album, so let's get you something newer.  Most recent single is 2022's "Pistol," which inexplicably has 47 million streams.

I swear each song just sounds like it is the same song that I just heard.  Soft-focus guitar and his voice meandering gently around over the top as though he's trying to not frighten a timid puppy.  I DON'T GET IT!  

I just googled "why is Cigarettes after Sex popular," and the majority of responses to that are very literal.  But the Indian version of Cosmo seriously published these sentences: "Sensual, calming and sometimes erotic, their music is practically addictive. You can’t listen to one song, just one time. Right when you hit play on K for the fifth time, you know you are down a rabbit hole thinking about the one that got away. Their tender pop beats and charming lyrics, that aren’t rooted in some unachievable fantasy but are inspired by frontrunner Greg Gonzalez’s (lead singer and founder of Cigarettes After Sex) memories, make this band the whole package."  Blech.

Definitely do not plan to catch this show.  If this is your jam, I hope it is the greatest show of boring depression you have ever experienced!