Diet Cig – “Sleep Talk”

Andrew Piccone

Diet Cig – “Sleep Talk”

Andrew Piccone

Diet Cig’s Alex Luciano writes lyrics that are bitingly self-aware without being self-deprecating — she thinks she’s the shit, but can count all of her flaws on way more than 10 fingers. “Sleep Talk” begins with Luciano describing a series of her personality features that may or may not seem attractive, depending on who’s observing them: “I can’t play instruments very well, and I eat all of your cereal/ But i’ll never be a smoker ’cause, the second cigarette makes me feel like shit.” This is a love song told through a what-if scenario. Luciano hypothetically goes to the home of an ex’s new girlfriend (“I bet she’d make me coffee, before I told her about you and me”), but then her song nose-dives into nostalgia as she professes her love for a relationship long-since passed. “I’m getting coffee by myself, but I still know how you like yours.” “Sleep Talk” is the longest Diet Cig song we’ve heard to date following the release of their debut Overeasy EP, and it spans several tempo changes that sound hard-fought compared to the short, sudden bursts of noisy pop we heard on singles like “Harvard” or “Scene Sick.” Luciano’s lyrics still snag heartstrings, but in terms of instrumentation, this change is a welcome addition to the New Paltz band’s already proven equation. Listen below.

Sleep Talk/Dinner Date is out 9/18 via Father/Daughter & Art Is Hard.

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