Need a pick-me-up? “Regrets and Cigarettes” is what you need. The debut single by Toronto artist Nice Vice (a.k.a Seth Horst), out now, is a fiery radio-friendly rocker dedicated to everyone who’s “still in debt and making bets and trying to live that dream.”
Nice Vice is making their dream happen. His debut gig in January 2023 was sold out with the full-length coming out in May. And their riff-heavy take on honest rock’n’roll comes through loud and clear on “Regrets and Cigarettes.”
It wasn’t Nice Vice’s obvious choice for a first single. It was the last song written for the album. “Out of nowhere came this riff that I couldn’t shake,” says Horst. “After the guitar part was established, the lyrics flowed effortlessly into this abstract compilation of moments I hadn’t thought about in a long time. It quickly became one of our favourite songs to jam.” The rest of the album contains several different flavours, so choosing a single wasn’t easy, “but the desire to start with something fun and funky won out,” says Horst. The song also displays the strong influence of ’90s rock on Nice Vice, particularly Pearl Jam and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Horst is also stoked for people to see the video, made by friends in L.A. “It’s nothing you would expect — which is kind of what we were going for,” He says. “I can say with confidence that is one of the weirder music videos you will see, but it was an absolute blast to shoot and turned out being quite funny in the end. Oh, and if you’re into extra-terrestrials — you’re gonna love it.”
2023 is gearing up to be a big year for Nice Vice and, more important: for rock’n’roll.
