31 July 2023 - 0 Comments

Aotearoa’s quickly ascending indie-alt-rock act No Cigar, have released their first single of 2023; the cruisy new track Make It Better.

Listen to Make It Better HERE

Mellow and laid back vocals matched with spacious guitars, set the foundation for what expands into an addictively chill groove and a hook-laden chorus melody. Though sonically easy-going, Make It Better lyrically holds a deeper meaning about the connection between love and fear.

“The song is about entering into a relationship with the fear you're not going to be good for them, and describes the balance between the love and that fear,” explains No Cigar. “Sometimes we think we're doing the right thing for the right reasons, only to find we're doing more harm than good.”

Recorded at Auckland’s Roundhead Studios, Make It Better was produced by Connor Jaine (Flaxxies, Casper, Summer Thieves, Dolphin Friendly), with the lyrics written by No Cigar vocalist Willy Ferrier. The band wrote the song during a month of songwriting in their “spiritual home” in Mangawhai, capturing a chilled vibe intended for this track and giving space for the vocals to breathe.

“As a band, we thrive off the energy in the room, and this song came together very quickly as the energy seemed to be right where it needed to be,” says No Cigar. “We were spoiled with a lot of songs shortlisted for this new album, however we had almost ignored this song, until we revisited the first demo. After we played it back the next day we all had a bit of a moment and realised we had to make this into something more. In hind-sight, we’re very happy that we did.”

No Cigar have quickly risen in the ranks of the New Zealand music industry as a band to watch. After recently releasing their debut album Bienvenido in September 2022, the band have gone on and played at some of New Zealand’s most exciting music festivals and sold out New Zealand and Australian tours over the last summer, selling over 2,500+ tickets across Australasia.

With singles 1999, Some Nights and Say No More playlisted on ZM, Radio Hauraki and The Edge, No Cigar’s infectious chiller tunes have fast become a favorite with fans locally and abroad. Their track record has amassed over 6 million streams on Spotify alone and gained a monthly listenership of 145,000+ fans.

Keep an eye out for the accompanying video for Make It Better, set for release in the coming weeks, and get excited for more music to come with their album The Great Escape. This is a band poised for a massively successful year!

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