[:en]
Cigarettes After Sex holds you in a hell of a spell.
Their cinematic slow-burn pop unspools like the most achingly romantic of movies. Swooning in the spirit of influences like Mazzy Star and Red House Painters, this is that rare band that can create a singular world and mood of its own – a fact not lost on their growing, devoted following.
“Sun sets, we wander through a foreign town / Strangely, there’s nobody else around”
And what a mood it is.
Melancholic, androgynous pop noir set in smoke-filled darkness. A delicate, elemental, otherworldly wash of ambience. Music to savour and linger over.
We’re hugely excited to bring Cigarettes After Sex over to China for a special Stage Left Concrete & Grass sideshow. Monday August 21 in Beijing (Tango 3F), and Wednesday August 23 in Shanghai (Modern Sky Lab) with support acts TBC. Presale tickets are 180 RMB.
Like their songs, the journey that Cigarettes After Sex took to indie fame was a long, drawn-out slow-burn.
Frontman Greg Gonzalez and co. started the project in 2008, putting out a debut EP in 2012. But it took a “breakthough weekend” in 2015, when a burst of online fame suddenly put the band on the map.
2017 saw their self-titled debut album. A sumptuous realisation of the sound they’d been hinting at,it’s receiving critical acclaim and enormous press. The songs are intense and intimate, encoded with confessional lyrics that frequently conjure goosebumps, as if intruding on a private conversation. Between Gonzalez’ androgynous voice, the echoing guitar solos, and the subdued pulse of the drums – this debut went above and beyond even the sky-high buzz around the group.
“My favorite thing that people say is that the music helps them, if they have sleep anxiety. It’s like music therapy. That’s basically the greatest compliment I could ever receive,” Gonzalez said in an interview. “Because if I’ve had really rough times, in the same way, I’ll use music for that purpose, to get all the noise out of your head.”
It’s easy to see why.These are siren songs, leading you puppeteer-like, towards an entrancing, enchanting state of mind. Somewhere between nostalgic and meditative.
Cigarettes After Sex. 21thAugust, Beijing. 23nd August, Shanghai.
This one is pure ‘Grass wish-fulfillment.We can’t wait to see you all there.
Concrete & Grass Presents: Cigarettes After Sex
【Beijing】
Date and Time: Mon 21 August – 20:00
Venue: GEWARA – TANGO LIVE 3rd Floor 格瓦拉生活 – 糖果LIVE 三层
3/F Tango, 79 HepingliXijie
东城区和平里西街79号糖果3层
Tickets: 180 RMB (Presale) / 220 RMB (Door)
* Pre-sales end at 12 noon, Aug.21, 2017
Tickets once sold cannot be refunded!
【Shanghai】
Date and Time: Wed 23 August – 20:00
Venue: Modern Sky Lab
3/F, 188 Ruihong Lu, near Tianhong Lu
瑞虹路188号3楼, 近天虹路
Tickets（SOLD OUT): 180 RMB (Presale) / 220 RMB (Door)
Tickets once sold cannot be refunded!
Links
Split Works official website：www.spli-t.com
Cigarettes After Sex Official Website: http://www.cigarettesaftersex.com/
Concrete & Grass official website：http://concreteandgrass.cn/
About Split Works:
Split Works has been rocking in the free (ish) world since 2006. Working with inspirational artists from across the globe, the good people at Split Works HQ have been a key contributor to the continued rise of China’s music scene.
Split Works has launched five music festivals and promoted over 400 tours to 30 Chinese cities, always striving to stay true to a familiar refrain: the music has to be special, every single time. From Godspeed You! Black Emperor to Sonic Youth, from Thee Oh Sees to Mac Demarco and Shabazz Palaces, from Black Rabbit to JUE and Wooozy to Concrete & Grass and More Music. We love music, we love China and we love you.[:zh]
“2017年最不可思议的音乐奇想。” ——The Guardian
在Benjamin Francis Leftwich暖阳般的民谣歌声之后，2017年混凝草音乐节的第二场预热演出将缓缓沉入迷烟缭绕的醉人黑夜，撩拨起观众们情热难耐的心弦。
8月21日、8月23日，来自美国布鲁克林的Cigarettes After Sex将先后登陆北京、上海。这支周身散发性感气质的独立乐队将爱情的陈词滥调细心雕刻成了极致唯美的形态，轻颤的吉他弦音在忧郁的黑色氛围中闪闪发光，主唱Greg Gonzalez创作和演唱的歌词有着《雅歌》般的质朴和分寸，道出了爱亦苦亦甜的本质。出道9年泉流般酝酿出一首首甘甜的情歌，终于在今年的6月9日迎来了首张同名专辑《Cigarettes After Sex》，迅速蹿红的热度也证明了他们音乐中纯粹的美依旧能抵抗时代的嘈杂，在人们内心激荡起波澜。
他们或许是独立乐界把音乐做得最诚如其名的乐队，无论是歌词中那种爱情的动物感伤，还是音乐氛围里沙沙作响的寂寥，都与一支烟点燃卧房余温的意境无限吻合。出色的氛围营造使得Cigarettes After Sex的风格被乐评界定义为“氛围流行”（Ambient Pop），但他们波光粼粼的弦乐声响以及缓慢、宁静的整体美感也让乐队在梦幻流行和慢核音乐中占据着一席之地。主创Greg Gonzalez追随着Red House Painter、Mazzy Star和Cocteau Twins等乐队的余韵，续写着90年代迷幻吉他的景致。在Cigarettes After Sex的身上，我们窥见的是繁杂缭乱的独立音乐这个乐风交错的新时代下缓缓沉降下来美好积淀。
Greg Gonzalez雌雄同体的嗓音或许会和他的外形构成令人错愕的反差，但只要他紧踩着乐队醉酒般晃晃荡荡的节拍打开喉咙，Cigarettes After Sex闪烁着烟头微光的小宇宙便顷刻间扩散在了整个舞台上。2008年他在德州埃尔帕索孵化出了Cigarettes After Sex的原型，这支乐队便一直以“创作团体”的形态不断接受新的乐手加入，在Greg Gonzalez的思维基础上丰富着音乐的肌理。2012年首张EP《I》的问世并没有让乐队收获很大的关注，直到2015年Youtube上暴涨的点击量才让Cigarettes After Sex打破了默默无闻的状态，一跃成为独立乐迷圈口耳相传的至宝。
高亢和柔软的爱意从他们一以贯之的黑色封面上便开始向外流泻，单曲《Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby》、《Affection》铺垫下的唯美幻境短暂却让人欲罢不能。而《Cigarettes After Sex》这张专辑饱蘸着滚烫的甜美，终于在2017年交到了乐迷的手上，这张像是“一本21世纪唐璜的爱情日记”（Pitchfork）的专辑完美地诠释了Cigarettes After Sex的美学，华丽唯美的氛围音乐给爱和欲望都划下了一个悠长的叹息。
Concrete & Grass混凝草音乐节呈现
黑暗里的甜美轻烟——Cigarettes After Sex中国巡演
【北京】
日期：8月21日，周一，20：00
场地：格瓦拉生活 – 糖果LIVE 三层
地址：东城区和平里西街79号 糖果3层
票价：180元（预售）/ 220元（现场）
*预售将于2017年8月21日，中午12点结束！
本演出所有订单支付成功后，不做任何更改退换处理。（因不可抗力因素导致演出取消或延期情况除外）
【上海】
日期：8月23日，周三，20：00
场地：Modernsky Lab
地址：虹口区瑞虹路188号3楼，近天虹路
票价（已售罄）：180元（预售）/ 220元（现场）
本演出所有订单支付成功后，不做任何更改退换处理。（因不可抗力因素导致演出取消或延期情况除外）
相关链接
Split Works官网：https://spli-t.com
Cigarettes After Sex官方网站：http://www.cigarettesaftersex.com/
混凝草音乐节官方网站：http://concreteandgrass.cn/
关于“混凝草音乐节”：
可能是国内最棒的音乐节。丰富多元的演出内容、实验艺术与奇特生物，以及眼花缭乱的游乐空间，都让它成为你逃离纷杂喧闹都市的最佳去处。这片乐土不仅有数小时不停歇的美妙乐音，更搬来了一整片诱人的饮食区域，即使在最隐秘的角落你也能找到新奇有趣的游戏竞技。欢迎来到混凝草音乐节，上海本土的“一方地，零常规”。
关于Split Works：
Split Works开功 是一家基于上海和北京的外资音乐演出公司，一直与诸多国际品牌进行合作，始终围绕音乐、品牌、创意和青年文化组织和推广各类活动。2006年成立至今，Split Works共推出了5个音乐节品牌、覆盖30座城市的400多场巡演，并一直坚信并实践着：每一次音乐都必须是独特的。从Godspeed You! Black Emperor 到Sonic Youth，从Thee Oh Sees到Mac Demarco和Shabazz Palaces，从“黑兔”到《觉》音乐+艺术节和“无解周末“。我们热爱音乐，我们热爱中国，我们爱你。[:]