Second albums can be tough. If your first album was at all successful, you suddenly have all this pressure of a follow up. One way around this is to simply never release a second album. The Sex Pistols and Operation Ivy never released second albums to ruin the reputation of their first. Cigar has taken a novel approach to their second record as a band: they waited 23 years to make it.
Cigar’s 1999 album Speed is Relative is a bit of a cult classic as far as skate punk albums go. Its successor, The Visitor, promises to be remembered as a fitting, albeit long-delayed, follow-up. Helmed by original members Rami Krayem on guitar and vocals and Jon Sortland on drums and vocals, with new bassist Jonathan Hischke, Cigar are a well-oiled three-piece who show a similar, yet matured version of the same style over two decades later.
First of all, Sortland’s rapid-fire drumming on this album is just fucking relentless. Their style of punk is pretty traditional of a skate-punk trio, but they show themselves to be masters of the subgenre. Lyrically there’s a wide range of styles here from the complex epic “Legacy of the Seven Piles” to the more simple elegance of the earnest love song “Move On.” And while it’s a showcase of talent from beginning to end, two songs stand out as the real heroes of the album. The first is “Classic You,” which was actually first released as a digital single in 2019. “Classic You” has a pretty straight forward melody and hook that’s complimented by the muscular rhythm section. The other is the single “We Used To,” which funnels an age-worn nostalgia into a hard-edged pop-punk tune that’s already got “modern classic” written all over it.
If this was just about proving that Cigar had one more album in them, that 23 years later they still have something relevant to talk about, then mission accomplished. If this is the beginning of a second act for the band, with more material to look forward to down the road, then all the better. The Visitor is everything you’re looking for in a skate-punk band, including the high level of technical skill that this style of punk requires compared to the average pop-punk band. Yet it’s still an album that isn’t afraid of a good melody or pop hook while the rhythm section shows off. It’s not going to redefine skate-punk, or punk in general, but it’s an excellent example of a really good skate-punk record.
The album is available in the Fat Wreck store. And don’t forget to follow Cigar on Facebook and Instagram for further updates.
