In late February, Cigarettes After Sex announced their new LP, titled X’s (due 7/12), alongside their upcoming world tour, which features shows at some of the globe’s most iconic venues, like Madison Square Garden and London’s O2 Arena, with more Korean, Indian, Taiwan and South American dates to be announced at a later date.
Today, they share the third single from their forthcoming album, entitled “Baby Blue Movie.” The track takes Cigs’ 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 commented on the track, saying, “A “blue movie” is a term for a porn movie & so “baby blue movie” is a reference to softcore porn. I heard the title years ago & 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…”
The title, a reference to softcore adult films, 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,” with the announcement of X’s and the corresponding global arena tour, Cigarettes After Sex have racked up over 30M 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 25M monthly listeners. The tour – which includes venues like Madison Square Garden, The Forum, the o2 Arena and more – is off to a tremendous start with sellouts in London, Warsaw, Sydney, Athens, Brussels, Lyon, and Cape Town.
In the states, dates in San Diego, Orlando, New York City and both nights in LA have sold out. Over 400k tickets have been sold internationally thus far and demand saw them adding extra shows in LA, London, Athens, Melbourne, and Sydney. The news spread quickly, with writeups in Stereogum, Consequence, Brooklyn Vegan, Pollstar, the NY Post and more. Enthusiasm for the track has led to early radio adds across the country at multiple formats, and a quick debut on the Alternative Top 40. All of this activity comes amid 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 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.
You can see the band live on their world tour starting this Fall. Tickets are on sale now.
CIGARETTES AFTER SEX TOUR DATES
North American Dates
15 JUN 2024 / US / Manchester, TN / Bonnaroo
31 AUG 2024 / CA / Montreal, QC / Centre Bell
01 SEP 2024 / CA / Toronto, ON / Scotiabank Arena
03 SEP 2024 / US / Philadelphia, PA / Wells Fargo Center
04 SEP 2024 / US / Boston, MA / TD Garden
06 SEP 2024 / US / New York, NY / Madison Square Garden **SOLD OUT**
10 SEP 2024 / US / Columbia, MD / Merriweather Post Pavilion
11 SEP 2024 / US / Raleigh, NC / PNC Arena
13 SEP 2024 / US / Orlando, FL / Kia Center **SOLD OUT**
14 SEP 2024 / US / Atlanta, GA / State Farm Arena
17 SEP 2024 / US / San Antonio, TX / Frost Bank Center
18 SEP 2024 / US / Houston, TX / Toyota Center
20 SEP 2024 / US / Austin, TX / Moody Center
21 SEP 2024 / US / Dallas, TX / Dickies Arena
23 SEP 2024 / US / Chicago, IL / United Center
24 SEP 2024 / US / St Paul, MN / Xcel Energy Center
27 SEP 2024 / CA / Vancouver, BC / Rogers Arena
28 SEP 2024 / US / Seattle, WA / Climate Pledge Arena
30 SEP 2024 / US / Portland, OR / Moda Center
02 OCT 2024 / US / Greenwood Village, CO / Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
03 OCT 2024 / US / Salt Lake City, UT / Delta Center
05 OCT 2024 / US / Oakland, CA / Oakland Arena
07 OCT 2024 / US / San Diego, CA / Viejas Arena **SOLD OUT**
08 OCT 2024 / US / Phoenix, AZ / Desert Diamond Arena
11 OCT 2024 / US / Los Angeles, CA / KIA Forum **SOLD OUT**
12 OCT 2024 / US / Los Angeles, CA / KIA Forum **SOLD OUT**
15 OCT 2024 / MX / Mexico City / Palacio de los Deportes
EU/UK Dates
25 OCT 2024 / GR / Athens / OAKA Indoor Arena **SOLD OUT**
26 OCT 2024 / GR / Athens / OAKA Indoor Arena
28 OCT 2024 / NL / Amsterdam / Ziggo Dome **SOLD OUT**
29 OCT 2024 / BE / Brussels / Forest National **SOLD OUT**
01 NOV 2024 / IT / Milan / Forum
03 NOV 2024 / AT / Vienna / Wiener Stadthalle
05 NOV 2024 / PL / Warsaw / COS Torwar **SOLD OUT**
06 NOV 2024 / PL / Warsaw / COS Torwar **SOLD OUT**
07 NOV 2024 / DE / Berlin / Uber Arena
09 NOV 2024 / CH / Basel / St Jakobshalle
10 NOV 2024 / DE / Cologne / Lanxess Arena **SOLD OUT**
12 NOV 2024 / UK / London / The O2 Arena **SOLD OUT**
13 NOV 2024 / UK / London / The O2 Arena
16 NOV 2024 / FR / Paris / Accor Arena **SOLD OUT**
17 NOV 2024 / FR / Lyon / Halle Tony Garnier **SOLD OUT**
20 NOV 2024 / ES / Madrid / WiZink Center
21 NOV 2024 / PT / Lisbon / Altice Arena **SOLD OUT**
Asia Dates
9 JAN 2025 / HK / Hong Kong / Asia World-Expo, Hall 5
11 JAN 2025 / MY / Kuala Lumpur / Sunway Lagoon
14 JAN 2025 / PH / Manila / MOA Arena
17 JAN 2025 / ID / Jakarta / Beach City International
21 JAN 2025 / TH / Bangkok / Impact Exhibition Hall 5
31 JAN 2025 / UAE / Dubai / Coca-Cola Arena
3 Feb 2025 / SIN / Singapore / Indoor Stadium
South Africa Dates
4 MAR 2025 / ZA / Cape Town / Grand Arena at Grand West
5 MAR 2025 / ZA / Cape Town / Grand Arena at Grand West **SOLD OUT**
7 MAR 2025 / ZA / Pretoria / Sunbet Arena
AU/NZ Dates
11 MAR 2025 / AU / Melbourne / Rod Laver Arena
12 MAR 2025 / AU / Melbourne / Rod Laver Arena **SOLD OUT**
14 MAR 2025 / AU / Sydney / ICC Sydney Theatre **SOLD OUT**
15 MAR 2025 / AU / Sydney / ICC Sydney Theatre **SOLD OUT**
17 MAR 2025 / AU / Brisbane / Brisbane Entertainment Centre
19 MAR 2025 / NZ / Auckland / Spark Arena
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