Photo: Tim Cotton
After selling out shows across the UK and impressing audiences at this years BIGSOUND conference, New Zealand indie up-and-comers NO CIGAR have today released their latest single ‘Chantilly’; a breezy, shimmering tune that boasts infectious lyrical charm and airtight performances from the band.
‘Chantilly’ is sonically captivating right from it’s opening bars, creating a vast atmosphere through layers upon layers of reverb-soaked guitars. Frontman Willy Ferrier’s vocal passages throughout the track are particularly memorable; with a dynamic, rhythmic delivery and ear-worm vocal melodies that stick around long after the song finishes.
Recorded between Auckland and Ashburton in New Zealand with producer Conor Jaine (Mako Road, Summer Thieves), the band explain that sound found on ‘Chantilly’ is a product of their environment during the writing process – and this time around it happened to be during their time in France.
“As a band, the process of songwriting is heavily influenced by the environment we’re in for those sessions. We typically travel to a new place, and park up somewhere with the instruments to help escape the distractions of our normal lives, and hone in on the music.
In 2023, with our European tour beckoning, we took time to park up in a small French town, Chantilly, just an hour north of Paris, where we would lock in for rehearsals and songwriting sessions before the shows. The picturesque beauty of the old town in Autumn set the scene for a series of tracks we wrote during that period” NO CIGAR
Carefully trying to capture the feeling they had during their time in Chantilly, the band grew frustrated trying to hit their mark creatively during their trip – but after a much needed break, the floodgates were opened and the band were finally able to find their inspiration for the song.
“Having flown halfway around the world to play shows and write new music, there was a very real pressure to produce something worthy of the beautiful town we were in (Chantilly).
As empty beer bottles progressively began to accumulate on the backdoor of our Airbnb, that pressure slowly began to build. We’d hit a bit of a wall creatively, or so it seemed, until we decided to clear the heads, and venture out into the picturesque autumnal embankments of the river that meandered through the town. Upon returning to our instruments, the valve was released, ‘Chantilly’ being the first of 15 songs that were written that very evening alone. The trip became very productive from that point on.” NO CIGAR
NO CIGAR have built a significant fanbase at home and abroad since forming in 2019. With 2 studio albums and an EP under their belt already, the band have been met with widespread acclaim from all corners of the industry – picking up 20m+ streams along the way.
The band have just completed their second tour of the UK – selling out the Islington Assembly Hall in London which holds a hefty 900 patrons. Over the years they’ve played at festivals such as Rhythm and Vines, Rhythm and Alps & the Coro Classic over in New Zealand, and supported hometown heavyweights Mako Road on tour in 2021. Their 2023 single ‘Concubine’ was voted #10 on The Rock FM’s annual Top 2000 list earlier this year, and peaked at number #3 on the Rock Charts in New Zealand following it’s release.
PRAISE
“..(‘Concubine’) is well constructed, featuring a wide range of instrumentation, taking a cool sonic turn halfway through. It starts out hazy and slow, but soon finds a crowd pleasing groove that’s bound to be received positively at shows and festivals this summer.”
ROLLING STONE (on ‘Concubine’, 2023)
“Each performance is a journey guaranteed to envelop you in romanticism, to the ever-evolving backdrop of a thumping sonic experience. With elements of alternative, folk, and indie rock, they also utilise groove-based rhythms with psychedelic undertones to keep your feet moving & your shoulders rolling.”
TWICE THE HYPE
“No Cigar has noticeably little banter, and are mostly here to play their music, which they do very well. The crowd was wild and some people climb onto their friends’ shoulders to see over the rowdy room full of music lovers. Anyone who’s not on someone else’s should is awkwardly pressed together as the venue was clearly at capacity, if not over”
13TH FLOOR
‘Chantilly’ is out Nov Now
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