The band is known for their ethereal, limerent and often dream-like musical style, lyrics often based on the themes of romance and love, as well as Gonzalez's voice, which has been described as androgynous.

The band's debut extended play, I., was released in 2012, with the song "Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby" eventually becoming a sleeper hit through commercial licensing.

[11] Mitali Shah of Harper's Bazaar India considers the name "extremely catchy",[12] while Sarah Kidd writing for Ambient Light Blog calls it "the name that you just can't forget".

[13][14] Through music recommendations, Cigarettes After Sex became popular on YouTube, leading to live performances across Europe, Asia, and the United States.

[20] On the same day, they also announced that they would embark on the X's World Tour in support of the album, taking place throughout 2024 and 2025, and released its lead single "Tejano Blue", in which Gonzalez stated was inspired by his years growing up in his hometown.

[24] In a feature for Noisey by Vice, Christina Cacouris describes Cigarettes After Sex as "elemental, hazy and romantic, but with a noir edge underneath Gonzalez's androgynous voice" as well as "sweet and sentimental".

[26] Music bloggers behind Swell Tone describe Cigarettes After Sex as a band producing "melancholy, slow pop that will sweetly rock any listener into a listless stupor.