Katie Belle - “Cigarette” burns Slow, But Leaves a Linger!
- Esther
- Jun 29
- 3 min read
We last heard from Katie Belle in “West Coast”, then she stood at the edge of a dream, one foot in ambition, the other in longing, painting Los Angeles in shades of shimmer and sacrifice. It was a turning point, a cinematic pivot from the playful flirtations of “Symptoms” into something more vulnerable, more reflective. Now, nearly a year later, Belle returns with “Cigarette”, and this one is about feeling the smoke still clinging to your skin. With this song, Belle continues to peel back layers, crafting not just pop songs but mood-lit moments of truth. She’s no longer just singing about what it feels like to want, she’s exploring what it means to remember. And in doing so, she invites us into a soundscape that’s smoldering, intimate, and impossible to forget!
The Atlanta-born singer-songwriter steps deeper into a space she’s been quietly building for years. A lush, emotionally intelligent brand of alt-pop that blends sultry atmospherics with vivid storytelling. Co-written and produced alongside LA-based collaborator Fabio Campedelli, the track arrives like a slow exhale, cool, controlled, and undeniably intoxicating. Opening with hovering synths and a groovy bassline, the song casts its spell immediately. Belle’s breathy, restrained vocal floats in with, “It’s been such a long time, you’ve been out my head...” and already, we’re submerged in that foggy space between memory and temptation. Tapping percussions and airy background harmonies build a rhythm that’s hypnotic without ever being heavy. A track that understands restraint. There’s no melodrama here, just desire drawn in soft-focus. The imagery of smoking, a tactile, temporary indulgence is the perfect metaphor for a connection that’s burned out but still leaves a trace. “Just another old vice / Like smoking cigarettes...” she sings, and suddenly we’re right there with her, in the backseat of memory, watching something beautiful and flawed slip through our fingers.
“Cigarette” thrives in its dualities. The production handled deftly by Campedelli is minimal yet immersive. There’s a cinematic tension between the lines, a sense of emotional inertia that gives the track its dreamlike quality. When Belle hits the chorus, “Pull me to your lips / Kiss me like you need it...” it lands like a whispered dare. But don’t mistake this for fragility. Beneath the breathy delivery is an artist who’s in full control of her emotional palette. The bridge floats like smoke rings in a dim-lit room, “Between your fingertips isn’t innocent / I’ll be your bad habit, be the hardest to forget...” It’s poetry by way of late-night longing-suggestive without being sentimental, seductive without trying too hard. What’s most impressive about “Cigarette” is how well its sonic atmosphere mirrors its lyrical themes. Belle and Campedelli have spent years fine-tuning their creative chemistry, and it shows. Every synth swell, every percussive pause, feels intentional. There’s an intimate push-pull tension that makes the track feel like a conversation or a daydream you’re not sure you want to wake from. Mixed by Lukas Cuman and mastered by Sanjeeve Easwar in LA, the track sounds polished yet personal, a clean aesthetic that allows the emotional undertow to do the talking. Think of it as a pop noir vignette, a fleeting moment captured in vapor, suspended somewhere between past and present.
About the way certain people never really leave, no matter how long ago the last kiss was. Belle has described the track as a reflection on the addictive highs and lows of past romance, how we can become entangled in memories and habits we thought we kicked. That honesty is what makes the track resonate beyond the confines of electro-pop. There’s no romanticizing the past here just honest recognition of its emotional residue. It’s a rare feat to write about desire without collapsing into cliché, but Belle threads that needle effortlessly, weaving between vulnerability and quiet empowerment. As the lead single off her upcoming People Pleaser EP, “Cigarette” sets a reflective, emotionally rich tone. It’s a song less about declarations and more about afterthoughts. About lying awake at night, not regretting but remembering. And maybe still wondering. So go ahead, close your eyes, and let “Cigarette” wrap around you like a memory you’re not quite ready to let go of. If you’ve ever loved, longed, or lit the match anyway, this one’s for you. Play “Cigarette” below, and stay tuned, because it burns slow and leaves a linger.
#KatieBelle #Cigarette #Pop #DreamPop #ElectroPop #Indie #Atlanta #PeoplePleaser #LosAngeles #USA #Music #UnderratedFreshArtists
You can check out and follow Katie Belle’s musical journey on her website here: https://www.officialkatiebelle.com
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