CIGARETTES @ SUNSET – AN ARTIST SPOTLIGHT AND SINGLES REVIEW
By Ralph Beauchamp
Every once in a while you catch a reel on Instagram or Facebook that immediately grabs your attention. Cigarettes @ Sunset did exactly that. The moment I heard their music, I was drawn in like a moth to a flame. Cigarettes @ Sunset is a five piece ensemble, hailing from Boone, NC, that mixes Americana, punk and rock in order to create something that is both fresh and innovative. They label their unique vibe as “Possum Rock”.
Cigarettes @ Sunset is comprised of Garrett Dellinger (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar), Sarah Vann (Violin/Vocals), Ryland Bagbey (Lead Guitar), Wells Whitman (Bass) and Ethan Moore (Drums). Like previously stated, their music fuses Appalachian angst with Americana soul and brassy punk rock. It creates a sound that feels dusty, defiant and deeply human. Their songs are built on rough-edged guitars that crackle with urgency. Cigarettes @ Sunset draw from punk’s raw energy while carrying an open-road spirit of heartland rock. Add sweet fragrances of spirited Americana and you have the recipe for some incredible music.
The band’s rock influences shows up in their tight, driving tempos and stripped down arrangements. But Cigarettes @ Sunset temper it with an Americana sense of space and storytelling. Moore’s drums snap with a purpose rather than polish. Whitman’s basslines anchor everything with a steady groove. Vann’s violin carries a thunderous lilt that can be, at times, either bold and brazen or calming. The guitars hit with a decisive force. The result is music that can rage, roll and be rebellious without losing its roots.
Vocally, Cigarettes @ Sunset lean into a gravelly, lived-in delivery that feels earned rather than staged. Dellinger’s vocals deliver both strength and vulnerability. His voice has subtle edges but when pressed demand attention. Their lyrics are steeped in small-town nights, broken dreams and stubborn survival. There’s an emotional directness to their singing. Each word and stanza seems to be torn from personal memory and thrown into the mix with no apology.
At its core, Cigarettes @ Sunset sounds like mountain rock grown up but not tamed. Still loud and bruised but wiser from the road. Their Americana influences give the chaos context. It grinds the distortion with melody and meaning. It’s music for dive bars and desert sunsets. It’s for people who still believe rebellion can be poetic and a song can still tell the truth.
Cigarette @ Sunset have released several adventurous singles in the past year or so. Their latest is “Out For Blood” that features their mountain blood. The mid-tempo track delivers brassy vocals behind a true roots cadence. Dellinger’s vocals are full of melodic textures and the entire song rings true. “Pavement” starts slow but gets explosive as the music grows more manic. It’s a wonderful dichotomy of cinematic values. “Theresa”, one of my favorites, is a forceful anthem to broken love and emotional bankruptcy. The second verse says it all:
I called you my love
You called me the wrong name in bed
Maybe I´ll forget and change it to your ex boyfriends instead
I called you my love
And you called me the wrong name
Got choked up on the words while you where giving me head
All in all, Cigarettes @ Sunset is a breath of fresh air. They’re a band that doesn’t compromise. They stand their ground and construct a new vision of spellbinding artistic expression. Cigarettes @ Sunset are not to be ignored. Listen and love.
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