Indie Mixtape 20: Diet Cig Presents ‘Too Expensive Or Too Sketchy Cheap’

Last week, Diet Cig revealed Do You Ever Wonder About Me?, the duo’s third full-length album and their most cohesive. Anchored by Alex Luciano’s infectious vocal stylings and Noah Bauman’s powerful percussion, the duo tears through ten power-pop tracks that center around introspection in the wake of lost love. But somehow, Diet Cig manages to fill Do You Ever Wonder About Me? with enough love itself to make you feel warm while listening.

In celebration of the new album, Luciano and Bauman sat down to talk Lorde, burritos, and Las Vegas in the latest Indie Mixtape 20.

What are four words you would use to describe your music?

Fun, cathartic, punk, personal.

It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

Relatable tunes that still make people feel less alone.

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?

Boston, MA.

Where did you eat the best meal of your life?

Chilaquiles burrito at a walk-up window in LA.

What album do you know every word to?

Melodrama by Lorde.

What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?

Kimya Dawson @ a church in Albany.

What is the best outfit for performing and why?

A big bud press jumpsuit! I wear them on stage sometimes but we just got custom ones for tour! Makes it easy to pick out your outfit when theres only one piece, and no wardrobe malfunctions.

Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?

Right now I love @grossypelosi on instagram, the best cooking content!

What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?

Cowboy Song by Thin Lizzy.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

“Can you see the live chat after the live stream youtube” lol we just did our livestream and I wanted to look at what people were saying in the chat afterwards!

What album makes for the perfect gift?

The Space Jam Soundtrack.

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?

In a parking lot in the desert outside of Las Vegas because everything in Vegas was either too expensive or too sketchy cheap.

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?

AC from The Spook School gave us matching apple tattoos while on tour with them at like 4am the last night!

What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?

Lorde, Mallrat, Ratboys, Elah Hale.

What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

Noah and my mom and our friends threw me a surprise birthday BBQ for my 23rd bday, it was so cute.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

Stop doing everything the night before.

What’s the last show you went to?

The Addy record release show for Eclipse at Gallery 5 in Richmond.

What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?

The Devil Wears Prada.

What would you cook if Kanye were coming to your house for dinner?

Toss him a bottle of Soylent.

Do You Ever Wonder About Me? is out now. Listen or pick up a record here.

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