Candy Cigarettes

“MY 45” is the debut single from multi-instrumentalist Lane Mueller, aka Candy Cigarettes. He dropped his debut full-length this past May, which is one of the more impressive introductions this year. The Portland-based act shows both a grasp for captivating atmosphere (the sweeping spaciousness of “Tidal Wave In My Arms”, the nonchalant Real Estate-like cool of “BackSeat”) and immediate hooks, evident here with “MY 45”. Melodic, twinkling keys combine quaintly with twangy guitars and a youthful delivery, the twangy hook that follows being highly reminiscent of Smith Westerns. For the guitar-key interplay, Coconut Records also comes to mind. This is one of the more approachable, straightforward pop efforts on the album, though with the guitar twangs and overall melody achives fully despite a simplistic charm. It fits perfectly as the third track on the album, between several atmospheric displays that help affirm Mueller as a very skilled songwriter worth paying attention to.

Stream the eponymous debut in full below, along with the new video for “MY 45”: - Obscure Sound

‘Selling Price’ has an immediately likeable psych rockin’ swagger to it, with a vintage sound and some Beatles-esque vocal harmonies to boot! It’s the work of Portland’s Lane Mueller, who just released his self-titled debut album this month. Candy Cigarettes has a mix of feels on offer, it’s a great listen and available for download here. - Sounds Better With Reverb

Portland native psych-rocker Lane Mueller (better known by his stage name Candy Cigarettes) has released his eponymous debut LP a few months ago. On the album you will find chilled-out, hazy tracks like the one posted below, “Selling Price”. The record is an impressive debut effort from Mueller and even managed to top The Velvet Independent’s list of the best albums of 2016. Read the full list here and have a listen to the album on SoundCloud here. - The Violet Wave

Early last year the Portland, Oregon-based dream-pop psych-rock act, Candy Cigarettes released his self-titled debut album (how do you like that for some hyphenated description?!).

A veritable one-man band, frontman Lane Mueller does everything from write, produce and perform the music on the album. He’s a self taught multi-instrumentalist with a knack for channeling old school 70s rock vibes and making them new again.

Check out a few selected singles from the record below and then self-titled debut album, head over to Soundcloud to stream the full album. - James Michael

Brief, quick and airy. ‘Tidal Wave In My Arms‘, one of two instrumental tracks taken from Candy Cigarettes debut album is an atmospheric affair lasting just less than two minutes. Conjuring up energy, somewhat like a wave and probably just as quick, the track crashes back to shore as soon as it’s started. This experimental, dreamy shoegaze track definitely leaves you wanting more as I was pretty surprised at how quick it finished. - Nikki

Candy Cigarettes – Candy Cigarettes
From one of the Pacific Northwest’s most beautiful cities, Portland, comes Candy Cigarettes, the music moniker of one-man band, producer, vocalist and self-taught multi-instrumentalist Lane Mueller.

In this early 20s, Mueller says that he has written hundreds of songs, contributed music to film soundtracks, received radio play and received a growing reputation in Portland’s competitive DIY scene, opening for established artists like Nurses, Frances Cone, and Minus the Bear.

His self titled debut dropped in April of 2016. Unforgettable tracks like “Selling Price” and “Molded Ocean” ordain Mueller’s EP as one of the best debuts of the year. Also, don’t miss The Beach Boys-influenced choruses and psychedelic beach pop for “Sweet Love.”

Beginning in his mid-teens, Mueller taught himself to play guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and piano.
His biggest musical influences include Beck, Elliott Smith, Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Radiohead. Candy Cigarettes was officially founded in 2014.

MP3: “Selling Price“ – Candy Cigarettes from Candy Cigarettes - Indie Rock Cafe

One listen to today’s featured artist and you instantly get the sense that he’s all about trying new things in his music. With a sound that is sometimes fuzzed up dream pop and other times alternative rock and still other times a distinct mix of the two, he has a sound that is catchy as hell. His hook filled songs display, that on top of the musicianship, he’s got chops as a songwriter as well.

Candy Cigarettes is the one-man band of singer/songwriter, self taught multi-instrumentalist, and producer, Lane Mueller. At 24 years old, he’s already carved a name for himself amongst Portland’s highly proclaimed music scene. Lane self-released his first album titled Candy Cigarettes in May of 2016.

Candy Cigarettes is the one-man band of singer/songwriter, self taught multi-instrumentalist, and producer, Lane Mueller. At 24 years old, he’s already written hundreds of songs, played live shows, received radio play, lent music to film, and carved a name for himself amongst the elders of Portland’s highly proclaimed music scene. Smoke ’em if you got ’em!

Mueller also released a Christmas album at the end of November, with the money from the album’s sales donated to the Salvation Army. You can check that album out HERE. This was a last minute project that was started a week before its release date.

With him being just 24 years old and possessing a mountain of talent in all the right places, Candy Cigarettes seems destined for huge things and we’ll be keeping an eye on him in 2017. - Northwest Music Scene

Candy Cigarettes
“Stockholm”

The Portland indie act known as Candy Cigarettes released this single earlier this year and I’ve amassed quite a few listens since then. “Stockholm” kicks of with an indie-folk sound before moving into more dream pop terrain and back again. The song presents a strange sense of isolation or, maybe not so strange, considering Candy Cigarettes is the solo effort of singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, Lane Mueller. As you move through “Stockholm” it will probably surprise you when you remember that this track is the creation of only one artist. This song isn’t quite as brooding as others, but it is no less meditative. Check out “Stockholm” from Candy Cigarettes below… - YabYum

3:10 p.m. — Arrive early (scoring street parking two blocks away), check in and immediately bond with the adorable dogs brought to the festival by various adoption agencies. The temptation is to hang back with a Jack Russell mix named Ralph and enjoy music on the main outdoor stage from a distance. But alas, the one-man (Lane Mueller) psychedelic rock wrecking crew known as Candy Cigarettes beckoned fans closer. The day was off to a trippy start. - Buzzbands.la

1. Candy Cigarettes
Candy Cigarettes is het project rondom Lane Mueller. Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist en producer van beroep. En dat alles doet hij vanuit Portland, Oregon. Stockholm is wat ons betreft een prachtig klein liedje, in de traditie van Elliott Smith, Ryan Adams en Sun Kil Moon. - GOBSMAG

This Portland, Oregon one-man band creates a sound that you would swear was being played by a six piece. Candy Cigarettes is headed by the highly talented singer/songwriter Lane Mueller and has earned a lot of praise and love in the highly proclaimed Portland music scene.

The music is everything that you would expect out of Portland. If you haven’t been to Portland well, get your flannel on, jump on the Max to Voodoo Donuts, get some coffee at Stumptown, and pop this album on the headphones and take the funky fortune 500 fast track into Candy Cigarettes’ world.

It isn’t normal to start off a review with the third track on this adventurous collection of work, but MY 45 is THE TRACK.

MY 45 is the obvious radio friendly hit. The song is so catchy that you are going to find your grandmother whistling it while she force feeds you liver-n-onions for dinner. Your Dad will even begrudgingly listen to it in the garage when nobody is around. Even that artless coxcomb “How Bou Dah” girl would bop her dimwitted head up and down on this infectious spellbinding track.

This track is not so candy sweet. When you listen to the lyrics it is about a guy who can’t be with the girl he wants. The song is like hiding a lemon inside an M&M and letting your friend eat it while everyone gets to laugh about it.

The chorus line:

“I want you, but I can’t have you. So I guess I’ll listen to my .45. And if she deceives me baby please leave me, I’ll find another way to die.”

If that gives you an idea?

The rest of the album is a sonic waterslide of adventure taking you through twists and turns that you may not have expected with your tube going so fast that you might go over the edge.

This collection of music is the real deal. Passion bred with true vision and art. Mueller catches your soul and flies you to a place of pure imagination.

Songs like MY 45, and the short but Beach Boys esque Sweet Love, all the way to the snappy The Party’s Almost Over; you will enjoy the unique and familiar sound that this self-titled album brings into your ear drums. - Kidman J. Williams

First, I need to apologize to Lane Mueller for not sharing his music under the moniker Candy Cigarettes sooner. I have been meaning to for some time, but always got distracted. His single, “Cabin Fever”, though, could not be ignored. The song is a microcosm of Mueller’s talent – a stunning, cinematic track that will have you saying, “Wow!” The song starts off gently with just Mueller’s soothing vocals and a swatch of quiet instrumentation in the background before it builds towards its mind-blowing finale. It is a song that you would expect to hear from more accomplished musicians like Jim James of My Morning Jacket or the Justin Vernon-led Bon Iver. However, it is a gentleman from Portland, Oregon, who has created this brilliant song.

Mueller’s / Candy Cigarette’s self-titled, debut album can be heard in its entirety on SoundCloud. Alternatively, pick it up on Bandcamp for a measly US$5. - TheRevue.ca

Candy Cigarettes. Do they still sell them? So kids could strut around pretending to smoke. Had ends to look like filters and red tips. Typing that makes me realise how odd it all was. And in a Proustian moment of life’s profound disappointment, I remember the unpleasantly sugary taste of staleness. They were always in two states – new and too hard to bite without cutting your mouth or stale and crumbly and tasting like sugar ash. There was no inbetween. Came with a card which was always damp. Meanwhile, here are a few tunes linked by having a sense of lost wonder.

First, Candy Cigarettes. They offer The Waiting Room. Long lost synths play, slightly out of focus, tickling at your memories. - Acid Ted

If Bandcamp had never of emerged, some truly astonishing LP’s would never have been revealed to us all. Lane Mueller’s debut LP is the personification of what Bandcamp is all about.

It’s bewildering to imagine a world, where an artist can’t share their music with everyone any more. All the way back in 1992, the idea that anyone could share music to the world, would have been a pipe dream.

Now in 2016, 24 years later, Lane Mueller’s debut LP is a complete dream come true.

As mentioned in our Bandcamp Presents… the sound of Candy Cigarettes alludes to single genres as a collective, rather than having a single running genre throughout. The steady flow of contemporary influences, channelled together with traditional practices, leads Candy Cigarettes into a realm of disconcerting wonder. Mueller’s work speaks louder as this unified collective, rather than as single contemporary idioms.

The joining of genres throughout Candy Cigarettes is what separates this album from the rest of Bandcamp.
Spanning the lucidity of dream pop together with the whaling guitars of rock, Candy Cigarettes is completely exuberant in its insatiable lust for astounding music. Opener Selling Price, exudes this very energy, opening to the immediacy of Mueller’s guitar work and roaring vocals in a matter of seconds, colliding into a collection of spiralling electronics and charging percussion, as it begins the journey into this spectacular debut.

Following tracks Backseat and My 45 transfer the pace into a steadier rhythm, as Backseat plays with voice manipulation which welcomes in jolted guitar chords, while My 45 brings Candy Cigarettes’ first sing along chorus to the mix. With a steady flow of folk influenced guitars, which blend effortlessly into the optimistic piano tones, a juxtaposition from the hardship behind My 45’s lyrics, creates a composition of a fronted act of contentedness.


Façades aren’t the only trick up Mueller’s sleeve though. Tidal Waves In My Arms and Sweet Love come across as unified partners, destined to complete one another. The pair transfer a cohesion of shoegaze elements, drenched in the elated energy of dream pop, as Tidal Waves In My Arms disperses a magnetic force of nostalgic reverb, reminiscent of early Smith Westerns crossed together with The Horrors on Skying. Once Sweet Love begins, chilled out indie rock transcends into the world of post-chillwave, as Mueller readies his fingers for the gut punching, country rock power of The Party’s Almost Over.

As Candy Cigarettes begins to reach its end, with One Good Night and The Waiting Room, casting soft lullabies, serenading your ears into a lucid dream; its final moments in the form of Cabin Fever, completely ignites the entire LP into its own standing.

Beautifully layered, with the drama and hope for an outstanding final blast for the LP, Cabin Fever separates itself into two parts. It’s beginning, which peacefully stares into the sky, as the sun creeps up, dimly illuminating the path towards Candy Cigarettes closing moments, and then its goosebumps-inducing awakening. Charging forward into the world, as Mueller creates a storm of screaming guitars, unleashing the energy of a thousand suns; Cabin Fever roars ferociously, as its final moments become nothing less than sensational.

From the very first bass note to the final onslaught of guitar solos, Candy Cigarettes shows complete irreverence towards single genres, by throwing them all together across ten magnificent tracks. It’s malleable to literally any type of guitar music, perfectly adapting towards country, dream pop and classic rock all in one. It’s tangible to the point, where even this download only album, holds as much power, joy and an emotional attachment as a vinyl record does. It’s truly a moment in history, not just 2016.

10. - Doyle Smith

Im ersten Moment erinnert Lane Mueller aka CANDY CIGARETTES an Elliott Smith. Doch er kann noch mehr. Sein Song ‚Molded Ocean‘ entwickelt sich mit jeder Sekunde. Der Song startet nach knapp 2 Minuten neu und nimmt eine ganz neue Richtung ein und das macht den Song wirklich so interessant. - We Love That Sound

From the moment you click play on this Candy Cigarettes, you feel an immediate weightiness. It’s a sort of CCR-meets-grunge feeling. And despite the grungy chords, there are some glowing sounds in the background that make it a fantastically satisfying sound. You’ll hear some classic influences in this, but mostly it’ll just tug on you to feel something. - Ear To The Ground Music

Portland’s Lane Mueller works under the Candy Cigarettes moniker, covering stylistic ground between Elliott Smith mood pieces and Beach Boys incandescence. His newly self-released album deserves all the attention you give it. - Another Dying Artform

Let’s just head slightly south to Portland, Oregan for one man band Candy Cigarettes (aka Lane Mueller). On a self titled debut album, Mueller has created an album that is drenched in atmosphere, melody, and a wonderful sense of ease. Taking cues from the lo-fi work of Jeff Mangum and Jeff Tweedy with a little hint of British Invasion, Mueller writes relatively short alt country/indie rock tracks that range from the upbeat ‘My 45’ and ‘The Party’s Almost Over’ to the more reflective and restrained ‘Sweet Love’ and ‘BackSeat’.

FFO: Alt Country, Neutral Milk Hotel, Wilco. - JAMIE COUGHLAN

It’s that time of year again. This time round we’ve got 46 albums for you.

Why 46 you ask? Well, because that’s how many albums I had noted down throughout the year.

In reverse order (46-1), discuss, debate, argue, criticise, but most importantly, go and listen to this music!

46. Prince Rama – Xtreme Now

45. Porches – Pool

44. Wild Nothing – Life of Pause

43. White Denim – Stiff

42. Your Friend – Gumption

41. Young Mister – Young Mister

40. Alpines – Another River

39. Childish Gambino – “Awaken, My Love!”

38. Shura – Nothing’s Real

37. September Girls – Age Of Indignation

36. DIIV – Is the Is Are

35. Sea Pinks – Soft Days

34. Daughter – Not To Disappear

33. Merchandise – Consequence Of Sound

32. Robbing Millions – Robbing Millions

31. Preoccupations – Preoccupations

30. Minor Victories – Minor Victories

29. Gypsy & The Cat – Virtual Islands

28. Clams Casino – 32 Levels

27. St. Tropez – St. Tropez

26. American Wrestlers – Goodbye Terrible Youth

25. Clipping – Splendor & Misery

24. Hante – This Fog That Never Ends

23. Spring King – Tell Me If You Like To

22. Solange – A Seat at the Table

21. Kaytranada – 99.9%

20. Hinds – Leave Me Alone

19. Phoria – Volition

18. Greys – Outer Heaven

17. Suuns – Hold/Still

16. Gioumourtzina – Blakk Metall

15. Sales – Sales

14. Victor Love – Technomancy

13. Perhapsy – Me Tie Dough-Ty Walker

12. Lust For Youth – Compassion

11. Palace – So Long Forever

10. Kanye West – Saint Pablo

9. Dinosaur Jr. – Give A Glimpse of What Yer Not

8. Subculture Sage – Big Smoke Autumn Blues

7. Eagulls – Ullages

6. Benny Boeldt – 8 of Cups

5. B Boys – No Worry No Mind

4. Frank Ocean – Blond

3. Local Natives – Sunlit Youth

2. Fall Seattle – Fall Seattle

1. Candy Cigarettes – Candy Cigarettes - Velvet Independent

US Portland-born Lane Mueller by the indie rock band Candy Cigarettes is, release the debut album of 10 songs!

While placing the The Brian Jonestown Massacre to the axis, Elephant 6-ish Lo-Fi sound which is also affected by the peripheral band is strangely pleasing. - nichemusic

Portland’s Lane Mueller under the avatar of Candy Cigarettes delivers a psychedelic slice of catchy retro rock and roll with tasty tune Selling Price. The track is part of his just released debut self titled LP that you can download right here via his Bandcamp! Listen and enjoy. - Diamond Deposits

Candy Cigarettes is the evolved project of Lane Mueller, self-proclaimed music veteran from northern Oregon. The music definitely falls into the indie rock genre with shoegazer overtones and a mellow yellow feel. The track "Take 4 Granted" has a folksie musicality with hints of British indie rock and tongue-in-cheek vocals that ring of the Moldy Peaches. More of a female vocal would add some depth and warmth to the track.

"Tomorrow" also brings the Brit-Rock essence but with more complex tempo changes and an interesting soundscape. The guitar is especially nice and completes the song. "Weary Is" boasts the most ethereal and mellow, however, while the piano adds depth to the track, it seems to have a bravado that somewhat takes away from the original mood of the song.

Overall, Candy Cigarettes is a pleasant music project and one that I would enjoy hearing live in a laid-back, low lit music venue that would set the mood for a sexy date or calming come-down. These tracks would be perfect for a feature in the neo-hippie show, Portlandia, for sure. - Rachael Alvine

3. “My 45” – Candy Cigarettes. This slackery, quirky indie-pop tune has a rhythmic flow and overall outlook on life that would fit with skateboarding. -

At only 24-years of age, Portland’s Lane Mueller sounds as though he’s been making music for decades.

Writing and making music under the name Candy Cigarettes, he released his self-titled debut album in May 2016, ‘Molded Ocean’ is just a glimpse into his mature, wistful style. - weeclaire

Candy Cigarettes is the one-man band of producer, singer, songwriter, and self taught multi-instrumentalist Lane Mueller. At 24 years old, he’s already written hundreds of songs, played live shows, received radio play, lent music to film, and carved a name for himself amongst the elders of Portland’s highly proclaimed music scene. Smoke ’em if you got ’em! - Joshua (J.Smo) Smotherman

Sometimes I find myself wondering ‘Can I really expect anything new from another indie-pscyh album?’ As it is one of my favourite genres, I must have listened to nearly 1,000 records that classify themselves as “indie-psych” and a lot of the time, it’s difficult to separate one from another. That’s why when I found Candy Cigarettes LP, the debut album by multi-instrumentalist/producer Lane Mueller, I was incredibly surprised by the amount of innovation and original ideas found on the album. Part of Mueller’s charm is that he is able to weave humor in and out of his music to create a fantastic set of songs that do not seem to take themselves too seriously, and can still manage to create a lasting impression on a sonic level.

Upon first listen songs like “Selling Price” and “MY 45” are immediate standouts but if you give the record a few spins what you will find is that every single track offers something special on it’s own. Elliot Smith influenced album closer “Cabin Fever” is a testament to how Mueller can use his influences to create exciting new tracks while avoiding sounding unoriginal (like so many artists do) while “Tidal Wave in My Arms” is a hazy instrumental that shows Mueller’s more introspective side. All in all there is something for everyone on this album and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys original yet reminiscent music. - The Violet Wave

Als wir Lane Mueller aka CANDY CIGARETTES das erste Mal gehört haben, dachten wir, wir hören Richard Ashcroft. ‚Selling Price‘ hätte sich Anfang der 90er auch gut angehört zwischen Blur, Ash und The Verve. Und wenn wir das gesamte Debüt-Album hören, welches wir lieben, können wir noch viele weitere Brit-Referenzen finden. - We Love That Sound