Local Review: Ńix – CIGARETTE TALKS

ŃIX
CIGARETTE TALKS
Self-Released
Street: 04.10.2025
ŃIX = Mach-Hommy + Bryson Tiller / Playboi Carti

I love to see a no-smoking sign in a public space. It helps me plan where I’m going to light up next. My personal favorites are the patio of Coffee Break, the courtyard in front of the art and architecture buildings on the University of Utah campus and most shows I go to. Just 20 to 30 feet away from the door (as long as it’s outside). As the summer comes to an end, it’s nice to look back on the sticky hot days. The long nights were full of easy smiles and patio lights, still blanketed in the soft heat, where you’d try to warm up just a degree more. That’s what this EP reminds me of: those twinkle-lit, drunken evenings at your old friend’s house, when you’re visiting it for the first time. That’s what CIGARETTE TALKS reminds me of: those twinkle-lit, drunken evenings at your old friend’s house, when you’re visiting it for the first time.

I have a soft spot for late-2010s Soundcloud rap, a sentiment for 808s and post-trap music. CIGARETTE TALKS takes all of the best, genuine parts of those sounds and combines them with acoustic and electric guitars, brought to a slow blur of R&B and alt-rock. The entire piece relies on bright airy elements, with a vintage flourish here and a dreamy instrumental there. The beat is steady and the flow is effortless. It all comes together in a pure success of local hip-hop. 

The 2016 YOLO swag era is back in full swing. Faux-fur hoodie, low-waisted skinny jeans with a belt, big boots and a hat to top it all off. Using Instagram filters into submission. Even though every headline is preaching a generational decline in partying and drinking, the fun never stopped — it just looks different. It’s too expensive to go all out at the bars, so we prepare beforehand at home. The pre-game is the best part anyway. That’s exactly how “BOUNCE BACK (feat. vrotey)” reads to me, like a quick shot of tequila before you get in the Uber. So many details of this record hit me with a pang of nostalgia; every hi-hat is a sweet reminder of a simpler time. “STRANGERS” follows supremely, as the beat slows down and shrugs into the sofa it was recorded on. I find myself gravitating towards the instrumentals over the lyrics, as they tend to follow the same outdated tone of the swag era. 

Taking a more orchestral route, “THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA MY BABY LOVES CHANEL (feat. MarbleTea)” transports you to a contemporary speakeasy that spins jazz vinyls and serves boozy martinis. The way the staccato-scented lines “My baby’s crazy drinking hella whiskey / Call her frisky” are delivered alongside the samples of string instrumentals excites and invites you in for the evening. Lowering the tone and the tempo, “AVENUE (feat. KICKFLIP)” feels like an intimate coffeehouse show, with a couple amps set up for the guitar and bass. “Tap on my window baby / I’ll let you inside? / Pulled out the projector for ya / Can you show me your mind?” are the lyrics that stand out the strongest to me. A handplucked acoustic guitar is what follows, closing out the night next to a well-lit bonfire, showing no signs of going out soon. “QUEEN BEE INTERLUDE” is a heart-wrenchingly beautiful break before the end. With no written lyrics, it’s just a passionate melody with vocal intonations. 

Amidst a revival of Aminé and Smino, it’s no surprise to me that pop-rap has found itself in a highly refined spot in the genre ecosystem. I’m sure that my wistful feelings for music that is accurate to a sound lost to time are obfuscating my tastes here a bit, but what can I say, nostalgia is a powerful drug. I think this EP is best experienced on some kind of substance, which probably means it doesn’t hold up because the sober group is growing. Either way, it’s always nice to reminisce and I think this EP is just that. A quick look into a life of Snapchat filters and Kardashian news headlines, a historically accurate representation of the Harambe age on the internet and its influences on music. —Marzia Thomas

Read more local reviews here:
Local Review: Blood Cannery – Cannery not Canary
Local Review: Ghosts of Cinema – Fantasmagoria