New York City rock band Nicotine Dolls released a new single and music video, “Gimme Sympathy,” on Oct. 21. The song comes from their self-titled sophomore album, Nicotine Dolls, which arrived Oct. 23 through BMG.
The album was co-produced by frontman Sam Cieri and Marti Frederiksen, whose credits include Aerosmith and Ozzy Osbourne. It pairs blown-out guitars and pummeling rhythms with the chemistry between Cieri, guitarist John Newsome and drummer Abel Tabares. “Gimme Sympathy” follows the lead single “Enemy” and “Here to California,” a track co-written with Desmond Child.
Cieri said “Gimme Sympathy” is about people who only know how to take and offer no accountability. “They are the leeches we let suck us dry, disguised as important relationships,” he said. “Then, we wrap it all in chaos.”
Nicotine Dolls was recorded in Nashville and includes 12 songs about desire, regret and survival. Tracks such as “To the Wolves” and “Little Games” lean on simmering defiance and groove-heavy frustration. Cieri said Newsome tore through one guitar solo with bleeding fingers, and that he cried when the record was finished.
The album took shape after the band shelved a completed follow-up to their debut, An Attempt at Romantic. After reconfiguring their lineup and touring with Newsome, Cieri said he realized he had been making music he thought other people wanted to hear. “To me, it’s the first real Nicotine Dolls record,” he said of the self-titled release.
During writing sessions with Child, Cieri shared a demo about trying to save a troubled relationship by running away to an idealized California. The song’s title changed from “Waiting for California” to “Here to California.” It became an anthem about choosing forward motion over regret.
“Gimme Sympathy” and its music video are available now, and the full album is out through BMG. Updates are posted on the band’s website.
Cieri formed Nicotine Dolls in 2018 after busking in the New York City subway for nearly three years. He built the band from the ground up and at one point worked six jobs to fund recording and tours.
Click here to listen to “Gimme Sympathy”
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