A fresh album release from Cany Cigarettes brings out a refreshing and cinematic tonality with beats, guitars, and swelling synths that fill the air and create an atmosphere that remains memorable and colorful.
The Horse Lungs album is a wonderfully woven palette of textures and soundscapes that all come together with a warm and welcoming indie-pop approach that also touches of classic rock at times but sticks to the roots of danceable hooks and choruses that can feel personal but are still portrayed with brightness.
This album has a particular sheen to it that makes it unique in the sense that it's a crisp combination of genres that manage to feel consistent and impactful.
You get everything from upswing pop singles to emotionally driven ballads that swim around you and let you get washed away with the sound all together.
Even those are catchy as hell though.
A beautiful and very real record, Horse Lungs tells stories and ends up feeling like a concept album in a way.
Each song is like a chapter in the life of the artist or someone anyway.
And it works all too well.
Vocals are smooth and give off passionate and genuine feels and if you listen to the lyrics everything is certainly coming from a real place, and this is part of why it's so addictive and powerful at times.
So, all in all, you get indie-rock, alt-pop, post punk, indie-pop, and more all rolled up into one massive album.
An absolute must hear.
With the release of this album, we wanted to have a chat with Candy Cigarettes to find out where this all actually came from and what may be next.
Here's what went down.
Buzz Slayers: Let's kick things off with Horse Lungs. This album has a killer alt-pop feel to it. Where did this record come from?
I had written a collection of songs over the last couple of years and wanted to plot how I could make them interact well with one another. I wanted the songs to feel like different parts of the same world. Correlating stories that fall into familiar, but unique atmospheres. The title of the album represents a silent hemorrhaging that thoroughbreds can endure during overexertion of repeated activity. I feel like the songs and mood of the album mirror that sentiment. Buzz Slayers: So how did this all start for you guys?
I started writing and recording on guitar when I was around 13 years old, picking up different instruments along the way and trying to make them sound cohesive. I picked up the moniker, Candy Cigarettes, because I didn't want my birth name to be associated with being a failed musician. Buzz Slayers: What inspires you guys to write a song?
Lots can inspire me to write a song. Other songs, boredom, people, pretty much anything. Buzz Slayers: This album has some great styles! Can you all give us some of your top musical influences?
For this project I wanted to draw from albums I've always appreciated for their specific moods. Some of those were; Elliott Smith - Elliott Smith Radiohead - Kid A Boards of Canada - Geogaddi The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour Buzz Slayers: What are you all doing when you're NOT working on music?
Drinking, watching Jeopardy, being Catholic, wondering what I should eat for dinner, receiving Amber Alerts on my phone. Buzz Slayers: Who's in all your headphones right now?
My rotation recently has included Weval, Andy Shauf, Wu-Tang Clan, Ennio Morricone, William Basinski, Tom Waits. Buzz Slayers: Are you guys doing any live performances right now?
My next show is 11/18 at McMenamins Mission Theater in Portland, Oregon. Buzz Slayers: This album feels like a big undertaking, is there any advice you'd give to other up and coming bands out there?
Don't take 6 years between releases. Buzz Slayers: What can your fans expect from you guys in the near future?
I'll be playing shows around the Pacific Northwest for a little bit and then will be writing & recording another album. Buzz Slayers: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music? I'm always watching