Watch Cigarettes After Sex Step Out Of The Shadows On 'Kimmel'

Cigarettes After Sex’s languid dream-pop lends itself to a certain mystique. It’s intimate, mysterious music that is arguably better served by never seeing the artist who made it, leaving much to the imagination. I feel the same way about Rhye and other groups in this milieu. But Cigarettes After Sex is also a major indie band signed to a significant record label, which means they have to exist in public, too — sometimes even on TV.

The band supported last year’s Partisan album Cry last night with a performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Although they’ve appeared on Last Call With Carson Daly repurposed concert footage, I believe this was their first time performing in a TV studio. On the show proper, they performed the single “Heavenly.” Then, for a web extra, they did “Touch.” If they had to puncture the illusion that this music simply conjures itself out thin air, they at least did so with suitably shadowy stage lighting.

Watch both performances below.

Cry is out now on Partisan.