Candy Cigarettes is the Portland-based indie rock project of multi-instrumentalist Lane Mueller. Blending Boards of Canada’s woozy nostalgia, Elliott Smith’s raw songwriting, the experimental textures of Kid A, and the shimmering pulse of ’90s shoegaze, Mueller crafts songs that are both atmospheric and immediate—music that surrounds the listener as much as it moves them.
Since emerging in Portland’s DIY scene, Candy Cigarettes has steadily grown into a fixture of the Pacific Northwest’s indie circuit. Mueller has shared the stage with celebrated acts like Ariel Pink, Cannons, Crumb, Luna, and Sorry, as well as cult-favorites King Buffalo, Corridor, Drahla, Low Hum, and Mr. Gnome. Performances have ranged from intimate clubs to sold-out theaters, with Candy Cigarettes’ live shows praised for delivering the same layered, immersive quality as the recordings.
A self-taught musician who plays guitar, bass, piano, synths, and drums, Mueller channels a restless creative energy into Candy Cigarettes, making it less a band than a singular vision. Over the years, he has earned a reputation for crafting music that’s emotionally charged, sonically adventurous, and impossible to mistake for anyone else’s.