Cigar Cigarette - Natural History [EP]

Described as “covertly heavy” (Brooklyn Vegan), “strange and stirring” (Under the Radar), “pounding apocalyptic banger[s]” (Nylon), and “undeniably groovy” (American Songwriter), Cigar Cigarette, the experimental electronic solo project of Los Angeles-based artist and producer Chris McLaughlin, all started as “some bizarre, Dadaist lyric.” It was “this repetition of an object that lives in its own world” that informed McLaughlin’s dark, avant-garde dance music, and Cigar Cigarette’s forthcoming EP, Natural History, is the natural progression of his psychedelic melding of genres to create a sonically rich, synth-driven EBM sound that is both referential and profoundly futuristic.

McLaughlin has accrued more than a decade of impressive credits and accolades in his production and engineering career, working with major artists including Beyoncé (for which he was nominated for two Grammy Awards—Album of the Year and Record of the Year), Kanye West and the Sunday Service choir, Rihanna, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, Fabrizio Moretti of The Strokes, and Neon Indian. As his production and engineering career took off in the 2010s, a move to Brooklyn and the founding of his next studio venture, Deep Space Recording in Greenpoint, led to Cigar Cigarette’s genesis in 2017. Now, on his Natural History EP, he expands his cosmic sonic terrain and rich, transformative sound while maintaining his gritty, art punk flourishes. The result is equal parts distorted guitar amplifications and ominous synthesizer dramatics. With the release of “Pantomime” and the Natural History E.P., Cigar Cigarette is turning toward a heavier, yet more polished sound, one that showcases McLaughlin’s penchant for textural, beat-forward synthscapes alongside his memorable hooks and absurdist outlook. Out [date], Natural History is proof that we’re in Cigar Cigarette’s world now—or at least on the dancefloor of his strange club.