MUMBAI: In late February, Cigarettes After Sex announced their new LP, titled ‘X’s’ (due 7/12), alongside their upcoming Asia tour with stops in Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Jakarta, Bangkok, and Singapore.
Out now, they share the third single from their forthcoming album, entitled “Baby Blue Movie”. The track takes the band’s signature ethereal guitar melodies and slow-burn atmosphere and turns it into the closest thing to a full-on pop banger the band has ever released.
Bandleader Greg Gonzalez comments on the track: “A “blue movie” is a term for a porn movie, and so “baby blue movie” is a reference to softcore porn. I heard the title years ago and it felt really striking to me. The story of the song is intentionally meant to be more cryptic storytelling wise than the lyrics I usually write. I like the idea of leaving the listener to decide what this one could be about…”
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The title is in direct contrast with the dreamy and romantic soundscape. While the lyrics reference sex and smutty desires, the feel of the music is more akin to a companion’s embrace. Scintillating whispers of love, sensuality, and mystery leave the listener to draw their own conclusions about what the song means to them.
Since the release of “Tejano Blue”, Cigarettes After Sex have racked up over 27 MILLION plays on the single, which was featured on 43 Spotify New Music Friday playlists, alongside a digital billboard in Times Square. They are currently the #249 most-streamed artist in the world on the platform, with over 25 million monthly listeners.
Over 400,000 tickets for the upcoming tour have been sold internationally thus far with the news spreading quickly, with features on notable publications and tastemakers such as Billboard Philippines, SAYS Malaysia, CNN Indonesia, and more. Enthusiasm for the track has led to a flurry of growth on social media, with the band eclipsing the 4M follower mark on Instagram, and hitting half a million on TikTok with only three posts on the platform.
Not content to let new music have all the shine, the band’s self-titled record just enjoyed a new chart peak on the Billboard 200 in its 50th week on the chart.
With the new album ‘X’s’, Cigarettes After Sex finally takes center stage as not just one of today’s preeminent indie bands, but as one of the most globally accomplished acts across any genre, whose often unconventional path to superstardom has helped reshape the very definition of success for artists in the modern era.
Now, Indonesia, the Philippines and India are in Cigarettes After Sex’s Top 10 Streaming markets worldwide.
