Between lingering lo-fi vocals, featured string orchestrations, and simple guitar riffs drenched in reverb, it is difficult to gloss over DC’s own slowcore band Cigarette. Currently a four piece band with occasional guest musicians, the collective released their debut, mini-LP, Gush, in 2013, which displayed a vivid interpretation of modern indie pop, fused with slo-mo harmonies integrating gentle and gloomy vocals. The band has since released two more records. The most recent, “Warm Shadows/Love's Mirror” features two overtly atmospheric singles which further enunciate the group’s sonic vocabulary. - Tafari Lemma

 Released by local DC label Sister Polygon records, Cigarette’s “warm shadows” is a dreamy mix of 90s shoegaze and the music of 2009’s chillwave summer.  But it’s not just nostalgia for dated genres that keeps their music interesting, Cigarette uses lush string and brass orchestration to add an extra nostalgic aesthetic to their music.   

Catch Cigarette with Governess and Scanners January 18^th at Black Cat. 

DC’s Cigarette is to indie what doom is to metal. They take the pretty guitar sounds and twee vocals and stretch them out into slow tendrils of reverb. Sweet indie lullaby music. If you haven’t picked up their experimental sound on vinyl from Dischord Records yet, you can catch them at Comet Ping Pong this Friday, 3/21 on a fascinating bill. They’ll be joined by DC’s Janel and Anthony, and incredible duo of guitar and cello, pushing their impressive musical talents to the limit in cascades of psychedelic imagery and imagination. Headlining the show is Yonatan Gat (once of the Israeli band Monotonix) who has apparently moved to New York to do a very exciting punk/world music thing. I’m sad about no more Monotonix, who put on some of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen, but I’m super excited about this new project. Don’t miss it! --Natan Press