NorthCigarettes for Breakfast is a Philadelphia-based band known for their lush soundscapes and raw, emotive, fuzzed-out performances, capturing the essence of shoegaze and dream pop greats, such as My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. The bedroom project of Matt Whiteford, along with various members and collaborators, has taken the hearts of listeners, making waves out of the DIY music scene and onto the stage with acts like Alison's Halo, Clarion, Slow Crush, and Blackwater Holylight, among others.

Cigarettes for Breakfast, at its core, is a DIY project. Early singles and EPs (2020-2021) showcase raw and real bedroom recordings with DIY cassette tapes, CDs, and T-shirts being shipped across the globe. Their debut LP, Join the Circus (2023), was created by collaborating with former band members and mix engineer Jeff Zeigler. Standout tracks like “Hollywood Daydream,” “Drifting,” and “Up” helped solidify the band within their niche.

Sophomore LP, Slow Motion (2025), brought back the DIY spirit of the project. Slow Motion was written, recorded, performed, and mixed by founder Matt Whiteford, with the exception of drum performances played by co-founding drummer Anthony Rossi. Standout tracks like “Numb the Pain,” “Glue,” “Solitaire,” “Seeing Stars,” and “Mesmerized” have gained the attention of Spotify and Apple Music editorial teams, as well as notable publications. “Cigarettes for Breakfast...seems to take up the ideas of the very first (and then still fresh) The Jesus and Mary Chain in search of the perfect love song… from outer space.” - Daniel Flores — Rolling Stone. After multiple iterations, the lineup of the live band stabilized with Matt Whiteford (vocals/guitar), Anthony Rossi (drums), and Martin Buechler (bass), performing across North America and Europe. “This project has the potential to go incredibly far — beyond the walls of local, underground venues.” - Kayla Moreno — New Noise Magazine.

The colour wheel EP (2026) is a collection of songs created by Cigarettes for Breakfast's founder Matt Whiteford, over the course of 3 years. Whiteford produced these songs while experimenting with reverse effects, tape speed, and other recording and production tricks that live in the more psychedelic realms of shoegaze and dream pop. Pulling inspiration from the greats like My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and Ringo Deathstarr, colour wheel washes over you with pulsing, soaring guitars that bend and swirl into oblivion. Each song lives in its own little world—a vibrant variety of sounds, much like the colors of the color wheel. The colour wheel EP will be available wherever you listen to music on March 24th, 2026, via Abandon Everything Records and The Upstate Sound.

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