Toronto Rocker Nice Vice Releases “Regrets And Cigarettes” Pick-Me-Up For Your Week
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 to.”
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.
Watch the video for “Regrets and Cigarettes” below and learn more about Nice Vice via our mini-interview.
Care to introduce yourself?
My name is Seth Horst. I go by the stage name Nice Vice, and I’m a musician from Toronto!
Tell us about the process of writing “Regrets And Cigarettes.”
So this song was actually the last song written on the record. We had just finished putting together the demos for all of the other tracks when all of a sudden, this riff appeared out of nowhere, and I decided to explore it. It flowed so quickly and effortlessly into a song that I just rolled with it. The words came out in a really smooth and funky way. In a way, the song sort of just wrote itself, and it happened very fast. I fell in love with it and decided to bring it to the studio with the rest of the songs. Once the guys started playing on it, we knew it was an absolute jam right away, and it had to be on the record. Here we are all this time later, and it ends up being the first single on the album.
What’s it like being a musician in Toronto?
I’m still learning what it’s like. I’m really new and fresh on the scene, and I’ve only started exploring it in the last couple of months as I begin to release this project. I have met so many interesting people already and had a chance to really see what’s happening. The music community in this city feels really special. At least, what I have experienced so far is it feels like one big musical family. Everyone’s very supportive and interested in what you’re doing. There is also a thing called the Big Fam Jam, and if you don’t know what it is, you should check it out.
Who was the first Canadian artist to blow you away?
I grew up listening to a lot of Canadian artists, but oddly enough, I wasn’t exposed to The Tragically Hip until I was in my late teens/ early twenties… I know that sounds insane. I knew who they were, but I never really took the time to listen. They blew me away immediately. They were undeniably original and had a deep catalogue of incredible songs. For someone who was just starting to learn and to write music, they were the perfect dose of Rock and Roll in my life and really made me feel something that enhanced my own creativity.
You’ve been making music for a while now. What’s one piece of advice you can offer to those starting out?
I have been writing for around five or six years, but I’m only really releasing things now. I’m not sure I’m the best person to give advice as this is all very new to me as well. If I had to give one piece, though, it would be to take your time. There is no rush… It took me years to get to the point where I was finally ready to share my music with the world, and I’m glad I was patient and waited until I was ready. Once you finally do it, there is a huge wave of relief, and it’s worth waiting for. When you’re ready, and you’re at that point, you’ll know.
Connect with Nice Vice:
Instagram