"[Recording Smoke & Fiction] was taxing. I'm not sure we have the will or energy to do another. As for touring, I never want us to be a shadow of what we were, I want us to go out on top."
—X bassist and vocalist John Doe on the decision to end recording and touring[1]
Smoke & Fiction is the ninth and final studio album by American punk rock band X. It was released on August 2, 2024. The band also promoted this release with the farewell tour The End Is Near,[2] slated to last into 2025.[3] The album was preceded by the singles "Big Black X" and "Ruby Church".
Reception
Peter Larsen of Los Angeles Daily News called this release "a terrific record... with the band sounding as strong and inspired as ever, its 10 songs harking back lyrically to the band's early history, its sound closely following suit".[3] Discussing lead single "Big Black X" at Stereogum, Tom Breihan stated that it "flashes back to the freewheeling, rockabilly-infused punk rock of their early records" and that "Exene Cervenka's voice sounds as intense and titanic as ever".[4]
