NICOTINE DOLLS’ “LET ME KNOW” OUT FRIDAY, 9/6
October 11, 2024 BY Bailey Vigliaturo
Pop rock quartet, Nicotine Dolls, are on a sonic quest to carve their own niche in the indie music scene, and with the recent release of Audiotree Live, recorded live in Chicago, and new music arriving at midnight tonight (Friday, September 6), they’re well on their way. Pre-Save “Let Me Know” off their forthcoming self-titled album now.
Audiotree host Psalm One dubs Nicotine Dolls – composed of lead singer Sam Cieri, Guitarist John Hays, Bassist John Merritt, and Drummer Abel Tabares – “the most emotive, the most intelligent… big, squishy, pop-perfection” while SPIN opines “vulnerability and determination are at the heart of band’s growing appeal,” further noting Cieri “transforms into a charismatic, gravelly-throated powerhouse with the rasp of Bruce Springsteen and the emotion of Lewis Capaldi” live.
After signing with Nettwerk Music Group, the band caught early attention with their EP, How Do You Love Me, a deeply personal debut, as they put the finishing touches on their first full-length album expected for release in early 2025. “Let Me Know” is the first offering ahead of its release.
“There was a breakup. An awful break up. We cried and knew that it was something that had to happen. I had this terrible thought when I left her apartment walking towards the subway. ‘If she would just come chasing after me tell me to stop, maybe it could work,’” recalls Cieri of penning their latest release. “Of course, that’s not true, it’s a selfish, overly romantic but overtly unrealistic thought. It wouldn’t have saved us. When writing this song I tried to balance the sparse reality with the driving big romanticism. The verses are simple and empty and only carry the words of what hurt. Then the chorus is sweeping and overpowering, like a selfish thought.”
Working musicians, Cieri further reveals, “when you’re white-knuckling it like we are – writing, playing and producing our music in my living room, shooting our music videos and editing them at the kitchen table – it’s more than personal to us…it’s our lives, our losses, our loves, our everything. When you hear it, we hope you feel how much we feel and believe every word and note.”
With uninhibited honesty and an overwhelming sense of gratitude threaded throughout their catalog and live show, Cieri is quick to recognize the parallels that inspired the band’s name when they first started playing together in 2017. “In high school, kids who went to house parties yet spent the night outside smoking due to anxiety of large crowds but had fear of missing out (us) were referred to as ‘Nicotine Dolls.’ That felt appropriate to who we are as a band and what we represent. We’re so thankful to be here and to have found a base that connects with what we do.”
Audiotree Live Setlist:
1) Till We Both Say
2) SLIP
3) I Need Love
4) What Makes You Sad
5) 30 Somehow
6) Next To Me
7) How Do You Love Me
8) Let Me Know