Nicotine Dolls has released their new single titled ‘2 Weaks’. Putting a subtle soundscape to a set of emotions that all of us relate to, we get the sense of self within the track and that slow evolution of healing within the lyrics.
Musically, the track is subtle. Building to a climax of realization. Part anthem, part reflection, ‘2 Weaks’ shows that at least one can be strong at that critical moment.
Feel each note. Ingest each verse. Let that sink in. Pay it forward.
About Nicotine Dolls
Nicotine Dolls are a 4-piece alt-rock/pop group from New York City. The band was first formed in 2017 by guitarist John Hays and vocalist Sam Cieri after the two met on Broadway. John Hays (guitar) and Abel Tabares (drums) joined shortly after, and are both well-versed in the genre of jazz. The lead singer Sam Cieri has a warm and familiar yet emotive voice; from Broadway to songwriting, Cieri alone has a lot of musical experience under his belt. This combination of talented musicians from varying backgrounds leads to a breath-taking cinematic pop/rock/jazz fusion.
The band’s new single, “2 Weaks” speaks of the cyclical, back and forth nature of tumultuous relationships. These two lovers are clearly not a good match, but they are too weak to stay apart from one another. Most of the song is spent hovering in this chaotic yet magnetic space. From soft little ambulance-like synths underneath the guitar to the interwoven complementary countermelodies, one could play and replay this song countless times before discerning all the individual parts.
Nicotine Dolls skillfully captures the experience of being in the so-called ‘hot and cold’ relationship, singing of being catatonic, then asking “Do I break the dishes, or just break down?”
The chorus is a veritable merry-go-round of feelings:
“Two weeks and you’re back again Saying I forgive and I forget And I’m too weak and let you back again And all my wasted hours Trying to mend this heart… Just to restart”
Later on, he calls his lover petty and petulant, but somehow he still wants more. Everyone has that ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ person who has woven into and out of their life. But something in the way Nicotine Dolls presents this timeless dilemma feels eloquent and gripping.
As we make our way to the closing of the song, the instrumentation widens into an epic-feeling chapter. A new violin motif enters as this person starts to sprout a seed of realization: “There’s a limit to the lives left to play within this game.” The pull, this back and forth, has to end sooner or later.
In the final chorus, new screaming-high harmonies are introduced, and claps fill in the spaces between the catchy, driving drum groove. The tune closes with more rumination over all the hours he has wasted. This is an anthem for anyone who knows they’ve lost innumerable days to someone they know they’d never make it with, and how love alone is often not strong enough to fix the lacerations.