Kiwi five-piece NO CIGAR, a band rapidly making waves, have dropped their latest earworm, 'Best Behaviour', their second offering of 2025. This fresh track arrives on the heels of a triumphant, sold-out tour across their native Aotearoa, signalling that this indie-rock outfit is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. With anticipation building both at home and further afield, each new release seems to elevate their standing, and 'Best Behaviour' certainly showcases a band operating at the peak of their powers.
Built upon a deceptively simple yet consistently evolving chord progression, the track is embellished with soaring, dynamic guitar licks and the compelling vocal delivery of frontman Willy Ferrier, whose charisma grabs your attention right from the get-go. Lyrically, the song dives into that universally relatable experience: the nerve-wracking initial encounter with a partner's parents.
As Willy Ferrier himself explains, “Meeting the parents will always be a tense moment, laced with trepidation. To be on one's best behaviour is the expectation. To be nervous is understandable. To be perfect is unlikely. The rawness and fragility reflect everyone's mind-state in such moments. Being an artist can't even prepare you for moments like these.” This candid reflection on the inherent awkwardness of such meetings clearly resonates through the track's raw energy.
Recorded in their homeland between Auckland and Ashburton with producer Conor Jaine, known for his work with Mako Road and Summer Thieves, the initial spark for the song ignited during a songwriting session in Chantilly, France. Although the idea had been around for a while, the band suggest that the atmosphere of that particular session helped bring it to fruition, quipping, “Willy had brought it to us a while back, but with a dollop of Chantilly cream, it was ready to serve.”
Since forming in 2019, NO CIGAR have enjoyed a swift ascent, establishing themselves as one of New Zealand's most promising musical exports. Their signature blend of psychedelic rock and infectious guitar grooves has taken them on tours across the globe, earning them critical acclaim for releases like their 2023 album 'The Great Escape'.
This album spawned the number one rock radio hit 'Concubine', which also made an impressive debut at number ten in The Rock radio's annual countdown for 2024 – the highest entry for a new band. 'The Great Escape' continues its strong performance on the Aotearoa albums chart, where it has remained in the top twenty for a remarkable 65 weeks.
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