Cigarettes After Sex

Biography

Cigarettes After Sex is an American dream pop band formed in El Paso, Texas, in 2008 by Greg Gonzalez. The band is known for its ethereal, limerent, and often dream-like musical style, lyrics often based on the themes of love and romance, as well as Gonzalez's voice, which has been described as androgynous. While marketed as an ambient pop band, Cigarettes After Sex are also considered to be shoegaze, slowcore and indie rock.
The band's debut extended play, I., was released in 2012, with the song "Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby" eventually becoming a sleeper hit through commercial licensing. After the release of the standalone single "Affection×Affection5 October 2015 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Affection5:112Keep On Loving You3:53" in 2015, the band released their self-titled debut studio album in 2017 to positive reviews. The second Cigarettes After Sex studio album, Cry, followed in 2019. A third album, X's, was released in July 2024.

2008–2015: Formation and debut EP

Cigarettes After Sex was formed in El Paso, Texas, by Greg Gonzalez in 2008. According to Gonzalez, the name came to thought after he had a "friendship with certain benefits" with a woman who smoked after they were together.
In 2012, the band recorded their debut EP, I., in a four-story stairway at his alma mater, University of Texas at El Paso, calling the experience "basically an accident; kind of an experiment". The EP's cover art used a photograph by Man Ray, titled "Anatomies", which featured Lee Miller with her head thrown back. In 2015, they later relocated to Brooklyn, New York, where the band's single "Affection×Affection5 October 2015 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Affection5:112Keep On Loving You3:53" was recorded and released in 2015 along with a cover of REO Speedwagon's "Keep On Loving You".

2016–2018: Recognition and self-titled debut album

Around early 2016, years following the release of I., Cigarettes After Sex gained recognition after a fan upload of their song "Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby" became popular on YouTube. That same year, the band signed onto Partisan Records, and released their first single under the label, "K.", on November 15.
On March 21, 2017, the band announced their debut studio album, Cigarettes After Sex. On the same day, they released the second single from the album, "Apocalypse×Apocalypse21 March 2017 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Apocalypse4:50". On May 15, they unveiled the album's third single "Each Time You Fall in Love×Each Time You Fall in Love16 May 2017 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Each Time You Fall in Love4:50". Their self-titled album was released in its entirety on June 9, 2017, being their first full-length release under Partisan Records.

2019–2023: Cry

In August 2019 the band announced their second studio album, titled Cry, along with the single "Heavenly×Heavenly28 August 2019 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Heavenly4:49". The album was released on October 25, 2019.
The band released the single "You're All I Want×You're All I Want26 May 2020 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1You're All I Want4:24" in 2020, and later released a single titled "Pistol×Pistol15 November 2022 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Pistol3:54", in November 2022.
In July 2023, the band released a pair of singles, "Bubblegum×Bubblegum18 July 2023 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Bubblegum4:392Stop Waiting6:03" and "Stop Waiting". In December 2023, the band released a cover of Radiohead's song "Motion Picture Soundtrack×Motion Picture Soundtrack12 December 2023 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Motion Picture Soundtrack5:00".

2024–present: X's

On February 28, 2024, the band announced their third studio album X's. On the same day, they also announced that they would embark on the X's World Tour in support of the album, taking place throughout 2024 and 2025, and released its lead single "Tejano Blue×Tejano Blue28 February 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Tejano Blue3:54", in which Gonzalez stated was inspired by his years growing up in his hometown. To further the album's promotion, "Dark Vacay×Dark Vacay16 April 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Dark Vacay3:33" was released on April 16, 2024, as the album's second single, with "Baby Blue Movie×Baby Blue Movie4 June 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Baby Blue Movie4:05" following it on June 4, 2024. X's was released on July 12, 2024, to favorable reception.
On October 21, 2025, the band released another single, an original song titled "Anna Karenina×Anna Karenina21 October 2025 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1The Crystal Ship3:002Anna Karenina5:15" which was named after the novel and a cover of The Doors' song "The Crystal Ship". On April 12, 2026, Gonzalez was as a special guest for Karol G's headlining set at Coachella 2026, joining her onstage where they performed a new track, "Después de Ti", which later saw an official release on streaming platforms on April 23. On May 19, 2026, the band released the single "Twizzler×Twizzler19 May 2026 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Twizzler2:54".

Musical style and influences

In a feature for Noisey by Vice, Christina Cacouris describes Cigarettes After Sex as "elemental, hazy and romantic, but with a noir edge underneath Gonzalez's androgynous voice" as well as "sweet and sentimental". "As the band's name suggests, it's reminiscent of lying in bed, but its ambient qualities don't prevent it from being music you can dance to." Gonzalez cites Françoise Hardy as his favorite singer and Miles Davis as having great impact. In an interview with Sound of Boston, he also noted films such as L'Avventura and The Double Life of Veronique were influential to the feel and sound of the music in "Affection×Affection5 October 2015 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Affection5:112Keep On Loving You3:53" and their LP. The band also includes the Cowboy Junkies' album The Trinity Session, Julee Cruise, and Cocteau Twins as influences. The music blog Eardrums Music describes the band as "slow, dreamy and beautiful with gorgeous, tender vocals and very good lyrics" and compares it to Mazzy Star. Music bloggers behind Swell Tone describe Cigarettes After Sex as a band producing "melancholy, slow pop that will sweetly rock any listener into a listless stupor."
Reviewing "Affection" for Independentmusicnews.com, Jae Pyl concludes that "there's just such an intimacy to Cigarettes After Sex's sound that it's impossible to not let it into the pit of your belly."

Members

Since inception in 2008, the group has included a number of different members and collaborators led by Greg Gonzalez:

Current members

Greg Gonzalez – vocals, guitar
Randall Miller – bass
Jacob Tomsky – drums

Former members

Josh Marcus - keyboards
Phillip Tubbs – keyboards, electric guitar
Greg Leah – visual
Steve Herrada – keyboards
Emily Davis – acoustic guitar

Demos

I Can See You (2009)
Cigarettes After Sex (Romans 13:9) (2011)