Diet Cig have been compared to tornadoes, firecrackers, and lightning storms, and described as genuine, unapologetic, and down-to-earth. Do You Wonder About Me? Is the follow-up to 2017’s critically acclaimed Swear I’m Good At This. The new record marks a more intentional, self-assured Diet Cig; not only in Luciano’s radically intimate, acerbic lyrics, but in the duo’s sound as well. Luciano and Bowman moved to Richmond, VA in the summer of 2017 as a place to “hide out and make music,” and it was there that they wrote Do You Wonder About Me?, Diet Cig’s ode to growing up.
Leading to the album Diet Cig shared the album’s lead single “Who Are You?” and Rolling Stone declared “Diet Cig reject lame apologies with ‘Who Are You?” further noting the “fuzzed-out earworm of a chorus.” Uproxx included it in their “Best New Indie Music This Week” column and Stereogum called it "fuzzy and chiming and sing-songy" Earlier this spring The New York Times took note of the band’s Alex Luciano’s vocals declaring, “the sweet clarity of her voice riding verses that seethe and rumble with a ferocity that harks back to the Who.”
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“'I will never hate myself/The way you want me to,' Alex Luciano informs her absent ex, with the sweet clarity of her voice riding verses that seethe and rumble with a ferocity that harks back to the Who. She’s airily polite — 'I’m thriving, thanks for asking' — but the music isn’t."
The New York Times on “Thriving”
"There’s certainly more shine on ‘Thriving’ than their previous LP. It’s a ringing, slightly campy ode to the dichotomy of seeking self-sufficiency and strength while simultaneously wanting someone else to acknowledge that you’re, well, thriving." Consequence of Sound
"Musically it’s a gleaming churn with guitars that remind me of a moment when indie rock was adjacent to post-hardcore, topped off by some of Alex Luciano’s most startlingly beautiful vocal melodies." Stereogum on “Thriving
"with their signature powerful guitar chords and crashing cymbals, ‘Night Terrors’ gives fans a look into the band’s new era." Uproxx (“Best Of The Week” inclusion)
“Quite a comeback...the real powerhouse of this track is the drums, which launch the atmosphere headlong into weightlessness...meek vulnerability in the daintiness and girlishness of the vocals add an irresistible sweetness.” Stereogum on “Night Terrors”
"It’s safe to say Paste is glad to see Diet Cig back in action..." Paste
"a zippy pop-punk anthem delivered earnestly with crisp power chords and solid melodies." Mxdwn on “Night Terrors”
"Diet Cig is the perfect dose of pop-punk. ‘Thriving’ is a song that puts all their principles front-and-center, from their dedication to crunching guitars to Luciano’s deceptively delicate vocals, which are a Diet Cig hallmark." Grimy Goods
"Diet Cig has always managed to present bite-sized nuggets of power pop that stick with you, but ‘Thriving’ is the band at their best." The Grey Estates
"The song perfectly displays the cohesion Diet Cig is known for while amplifying the punk duo’s ability to have fun with just about any subject matter." Wild Honey Pie on “Night Terrors”
The power of Diet Cig comes from the way Luciano and Bowman bolster these themes with affirming positivity in the form of delightful, explosive anthems." - NPR
"loud, blunt, and totally fun." - Under The Radar
"infectious indie-rock perfection" - NY Newsday
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