Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
NYC-bred rockers Nicotine Dolls released new single & music video “Here to California,” an exhilarating anthem about choosing forward motion over regret, from their self-titled sophomore album, out October 23 via BMG. Co-produced by frontman Sam Cieri and renowned hitmaker Marti Frederiksen (Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne), Nicotine Dolls pairs blown-out guitars, pummeling rhythms, and electrifying vocals with fearless songwriting, capturing the explosive chemistry between Cieri, guitarist John Newsome and drummer Abel Tabares.
Written while working with legendary songwriter and producer Desmond Child (Aerosmith, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts), “Here to California” is about longing to save a troubled relationship by running away to an idealized California. Originally titled “Waiting for California,” the song’s video features a 1971 Ford Mustang convertible and was filmed from the top of Los Angeles’ Laurel Canyon to Santa Monica Beach.
Before forming Nicotine Dolls in 2018, Cieri made ends meet by busking in the New York City subway for nearly three years, eventually scoring the lead role in the Tony Award-winning musical Once. Over the years, he steadily built the band from the ground up (at one point working six jobs to fund their recording and tours), cultivating a devoted following.
Eventually, to become the band they always wanted to be, they had to blow up the old blueprint. The process included reconfiguring their lineup, scrapping a completed album and reconnecting with the reckless abandon that first made Cieri fall in love with rock & roll. Soon after recording an intended follow-up to their debut album “An Attempt at Romantic”, Nicotine Dolls hit the road for their first tour with Newsome in the lineup and quickly rediscovered the visceral thrill of rock music.
“We were having so much fun playing with John, and it reminded me of the way rock & roll made me feel as a teenager,” Cieri recalls. “I realized that for a long time I’d been making the music I thought other people wanted to hear, instead of making music that I truly love.”
Newly signed to BMG, the band decided to shelve their first attempt at a sophomore album and start over. “I’d always wanted to make a record like the one we ended up with, but never had the right band to pull it off,” says Cieri. “Somehow, everything came together and it felt like magic. That’s why it’s self-titled. To me, it’s the first real Nicotine Dolls record.”
Across its 12 songs, the Nicotine Dolls album brings the same moody bravado to an unfiltered exploration of desire, regret and survival. The band moves from the fuzzed-out swagger of “Gimme Sympathy” to the simmering defiance of “To the Wolves” and the groove-heavy frustration of “Little Games,” attacking each song with equal parts unbridled energy and emotional force. At one point, Newsome tore through a guitar solo with bleeding fingers.
“When we finished the record, I cried. I’d never had that happen before,” says Cieri. “I believe in our band, and this is the closest I’ve ever come to making the record I always knew we could make.”
The band will perform at Blue Stone Arts & Music Festival in Sandy Springs, GA on September 25 before embarking on a UK/EU tour this October.
2026 Tour Dates
PRE SAVE “NICOTINE DOLLS” HERE
“Nicotine Dolls” tracklist
