Cry (Cigarettes After Sex album)

Cry is the second studio album by American ambient pop band Cigarettes After Sex, released through Partisan Records on October 25, 2019. It was preceded by the single "Heavenly".[4]

Cry
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 25, 2019 (2019-10-25)
RecordedJuly 2016 – June 2017
Genre
Length40:26
LabelPartisan
ProducerGreg Gonzalez
Cigarettes After Sex chronology
Cigarettes After Sex
(2017)
Cry
(2019)
X's
(2024)

Background

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Frontman Greg Gonzalez said: "We made [Cry] to just be a snapshot of a moment, to capture the feeling of something. And it's flawed, but the fact that it's flawed means that it's an honest portrayal. And that's what is perfect about it to me."[5] Gonzalez also remarked that he views the album as a "film" as it was "shot in this stunning, exotic location Mallorca, and it stitches all these different characters and scenes together, but in the end is really about romance, beauty & sexuality."[4]

Elaborating on the band's style, Gonzalez said that after experiencing heartbreak, the music he needed was "very gentle" and "very peaceful, because internally I was going through such turmoil. The music that I make became a reaction to the life that happened."[5]

Gonzalez wrote "Falling in Love" over two years. He states, "I wrote the chorus in the middle of a bunch of tours, very far from love or real relationships, and trying to write that song would've felt dishonest. By the time we got into the studio, I was seeing my current girlfriend and wrote from a real perspective. It felt very strange, in a way, to finally have that."[6]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic69/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [3]
Clash8/10[8]
Exclaim!9/10[9]
The Guardian     [1]
The Independent     [10]
NME     [11]
Pitchfork4.0/10[2]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Cry received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 69 out of 100 from 14 critic scores.[7] Alisha Mughal of Exclaim! called the album a "gentler and more vulnerable" than the band's debut album, and writing that the album "will make you cry, because Gonzalez knows what he's doing. It's cathartic, stunning, it'll awaken your senses and it's not to be missed."[9] On the other hand Timothy Monger of AllMusic stated that "for a project based on amorous and sensual pleasures, Cigarettes After Sex feels a little too one-dimensional".[3]

Year-end rankings

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Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Afisha Daily (Russia) The Best Foreign Albums of 2019
13

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Greg Gonzalez

No.TitleLength
1."Don't Let Me Go"4:22
2."Kiss It Off Me"4:29
3."Heavenly"4:48
4."You're the Only Good Thing in My Life"4:35
5."Touch"4:52
6."Hentai"4:45
7."Cry"4:16
8."Falling in Love"4:05
9."Pure"4:14
Total length:40:26

Personnel

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Cigarettes After Sex

  • Greg Gonzalez – vocals, guitar
  • Randall Miller – bass
  • Jacob Tomsky – drums
  • Phillip Tubbs – keyboards

Production

  • Greg Gonzalez – production
  • Craig Silvey – mixing
  • Max Prior – additional engineering
  • Greg Calbi – mastering

Artwork

  • Randall Miller – graphic design
  • Donovan Brien – additional packaging design
  • Alessandro Puccinelli – cover photo (Mare 345 – Seascape)

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for Cry
Region Certification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[33] Gold 50,000
Poland (ZPAV)[34] Gold 10,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Hann, Michael (October 25, 2019). "Cigarettes After Sex: Cry review – icky lyrics, lovely melodies". The Guardian. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Kemp, Sophie (October 28, 2019). "Cigarettes After Sex: Cry Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Monger, Timothy. "Cry – Cigarettes After Sex Review". AllMusic. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Yoo, Noah; Bloom, Madison (August 28, 2019). "Cigarettes After Sex Announce New Album Cry, Share New Song "Heavenly": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Mughal, Alisha (October 24, 2019). "Cigarettes After Sex Are Purposefully in Their Feelings on 'Cry'". Exclaim!. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  6. ^ Pulgar, E.R. (October 28, 2019). "Cigarettes After Sex Make Peace With Their Misery on Sophomore Album 'Cry'". Remezcla. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Cry by Cigarettes After Sex Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  8. ^ Thomas, Laviea (October 22, 2019). "Cigarettes After Sex – Cry". Clash. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Mughal, Alisha (October 22, 2019). "Cigarettes After Sex Cry". Exclaim!. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  10. ^ O'Connor, Roisin (October 24, 2019). "Cigarettes After Sex review, Cry: Greg Gonzalez explores love in all its forms on this cinematic album". The Independent. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  11. ^ Trendell, Andrew (October 18, 2019). "Cigarettes After Sex – 'Cry' review: a headphones record of seductive grooves and slow-burning lust". NME. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  12. ^ "Лучшие зарубежные альбомы 2019 года" [The Best Foreign Albums of 2019]. Afisha Daily (in Russian). December 26, 2019.
  13. ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #549". auspOp. November 2, 2019. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  14. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Cigarettes After Sex – Cry" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  15. ^ "Ultratop.be – Cigarettes After Sex – Cry" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Cigarettes After Sex – Cry" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  17. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 46.Týden 2019 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  18. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Cigarettes After Sex – Cry". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  19. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Cigarettes After Sex – Cry" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  20. ^ "Lescharts.com – Cigarettes After Sex – Cry". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  21. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Cigarettes After Sex – Cry" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  22. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Cigarettes After Sex – Cry". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  23. ^ "Mūzikas Patēriņa Tops/ 44. nedēļa" (in Latvian). LAIPA. Archived from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  24. ^ "2019 44-os savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  25. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  26. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Cigarettes After Sex – Cry". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  27. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  28. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Cigarettes After Sex – Cry". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  29. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Cigarettes After Sex – Cry". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  30. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  31. ^ "Cigarettes After Sex Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  32. ^ "2022 metų klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  33. ^ "French album certifications – Cigarettes After Sex – Cry" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  34. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 23, 2024. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Cry in the search box.