Cigarettes @ Sunset Turn Up the Appalachian Spirit on “Carolina Shakedown”

Cigarettes @ Sunset bring folky and fun back with their new track “Carolina Shakedown,” a song that sounds like it was made for a night where nobody is keeping track of how late it’s getting. The Boone, North Carolina band leans hard into its Appalachian roots here, blending the warmth of folk with a louder rock sound. The violin gives the track a lot of its character, weaving through the guitars and percussion while keeping the song grounded in that back-home feeling. It sounds big without losing the comforting familiarity.

“Charleston to Wilmington and all the bad shit that I’ve done” is a pretty perfect way to open the song. The lyrics immediately put the listener on the road, following someone who knows he has made mistakes but is still moving forward. “Seems to me I can’t outrun the man that I’ve become” adds a little more weight before the song quickly shifts back into the reality of being on the road, playing music, getting stoned, and singing with people he doesn’t know. That mix of self-awareness and carelessness runs through the whole track.

The chorus is where “Carolina Shakedown” really lets loose. “Go on dance your heart out” feels less like a lyric and more like an invitation, especially with the two-step reference and the repeated title. It is easy to picture this one being played with a crowd already on its feet. There is something slightly more personal tucked into the chorus, too, with the repeated request to “take me by the hand and ask for one more spin around.” That line gives all the dancing a little more direction, turning the chorus into something that sounds like it is aimed at one person in particular.

Then the second verse gets even more honest. “Carelessly raised on ambition / Talked too loud and never listen” is blunt in a way that fits the rest of the song, but “I’m a redneck junkie for the attention” is the line that really sticks. The pause gives the line some extra weight, and suddenly the self-awareness running through the song comes into focus.

All of those little details give “Carolina Shakedown” its personality. Cigarettes @ Sunset know how to have fun with their sound without sanding away the personality underneath it. The folk influence, especially through the violin, keeps the track connected to where the band comes from, while the drums, guitars, bass, and vocals give it enough push to become something much bigger. “Carolina Shakedown” sounds like home with the volume turned up, and there is plenty of room to dance once it gets there.

Review by Bek Allegretti