Cry (Cigarettes After Sex album)

Cry
Studio album by Cigarettes After Sex
Released	October 25, 2019 (2019-10-25)
Recorded	July 2016 – June 2017
Genre	Ambient pop [1] dream pop [2] slowcore [3]
Length	40:26
Label	Partisan
Producer	Greg Gonzalez
Cigarettes After Sex chronology
Cigarettes After Sex (2017) Cry (2019) X's (2024)

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]

Background

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

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	69/100 [7]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Clash	8/10 [8]
Exclaim!	9/10 [9]
The Guardian	[1]
The Independent	[10]
NME	[11]
Pitchfork	4.0/10 [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

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
Afisha Daily (Russia)	The Best Foreign Albums of 2019	13	[12]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Greg Gonzalez

No.	Title	Length
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

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

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Cry Chart (2019) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA) [13] 61 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [14] 26 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [15] 8 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [16] 19 Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI) [17] 95 Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [18] 31 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [19] 37 French Albums (SNEP) [20] 27 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [21] 29 Italian Albums (FIMI) [22] 60 Latvian Albums (LAIPA) [23] 19 Lithuanian Albums (AGATA) [24] 10 Polish Albums (ZPAV) [25] 21 Portuguese Albums (AFP) [26] 1 Scottish Albums (OCC) [27] 21 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [28] 26 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [29] 18 UK Albums (OCC) [30] 36 US Billboard 200 [31] 152

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for Cry Chart (2022) Position Lithuanian Albums (AGATA) [32] 58

Certifications

Certifications for Cry

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
France (SNEP) [33]	Gold	50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) [34]	Gold	7,500‡
Poland (ZPAV) [35]	Gold	10,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [36]	Silver	60,000‡
United States (RIAA) [37]	Gold	500,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Hann, Michael (October 25, 2019). "Cigarettes After Sex: Cry review – icky lyrics, lovely melodies". The Guardian . Retrieved October 27, 2019.
2. Kemp, Sophie (October 28, 2019). "Cigarettes After Sex: Cry Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved October 28, 2019.
3. Monger, Timothy. "Cry – Cigarettes After Sex Review". AllMusic . Retrieved October 27, 2019.
4. 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. 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. "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. 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. "New Zealand album certifications – Cigarettes After Sex – Cry". Radioscope. Retrieved February 15, 2025.Type Cry in the "Search:" field.
35. "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.
36. "British album certifications – Cigarettes After Sex – Cry". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved February 15, 2025.
37. "American album certifications – Cigarettes After Sex – Cry". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved February 15, 2025.