Listen To Cigarettes @ Sunset’s ‘Carolina Shakedown’
The North Carolina band will play three Strummingbird Festival dates in Australia this month.
Cigarettes @ Sunset have released new single “Carolina Shakedown” via Lost Highway Records, pairing the Boone, North Carolina band’s bluegrass roots with the heavier sound it calls “Appalachian possum rock.” The release comes ahead of the group’s appearances at Australia’s Strummingbird Festival on October 10, 17 and 18, part of a fall run that also includes U.S. headline dates and shows with Dexter and The Moonrocks.
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“Carolina Shakedown” grew from one of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Garrett Dellinger’s childhood memories: Sunday afternoons when his grandparents invited fellow church members over for barbecue and bluegrass performances on a makeshift backyard stage. Produced by Taylor Kimball, whose credits include Wyatt Flores and Koe Wetzel, the track pushes that bluegrass influence into a more forceful rock arrangement. Its lyrics move between memories of home, religious imagery and the restless perspective of touring; at one point, Dellinger sings, “Forgive me, father, of my sins / I just can’t wait to do it again.” Violinist Sarah Vann contributes a featured solo.
The five-piece also includes bassist and backing vocalist Wells Whitman, drummer Ethan Moore and lead guitarist Ryland Bagbey, with Vann also contributing vocals. “Carolina Shakedown” follows “Gasoline,” a song centered on post-breakup destruction, and May single “Appalachian Raised,” which was featured on Spotify’s Indigo editorial playlist. The band’s earlier Possum Rock EP collected six songs and marked its debut release for Lost Highway Records, establishing the title for the group’s own description of its Appalachian-rooted rock sound.
The band is scheduled to play a sold-out hometown show at Appalachian Mountain Brewery on October 1, followed by another sold-out appearance at Georgia Theatre in Athens, Georgia. After Strummingbird Festival, the itinerary includes George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on November 3 and Proud Larry’s in Oxford, Mississippi, on November 13. From there, the group will continue a recently launched U.S. run with repeat tourmates Dexter and The Moonrocks, including two-night stands at Emo’s Austin on November 19 and 20 and New York City’s Webster Hall on December 5 and 6.
