Singled Out: Growers' 17 Cigarettes

Keavin Wiggins | 05-17-2023

Single art

Toronto pop-punkers Growers just released their brand new single "17 Cigarettes," and to celebrate, we asked Matt to tell us about the song. Here is the story:

"17 Cigarettes" was inspired by the struggle of getting older, especially in your late teen years. Transitioning from being a kid, to having a bit more responsibility and independence is tough. Having a moment to contemplate these thoughts over a cigarette break is what the song is about. As you're taking a long drag, maybe you're thinking about all the important choices you have ahead of you - where you might go to school, if you'll find work, and what sort of impact those choices will have on the course of your life. It's hard not to think about potential regrets, and how much you will eventually change as the years pass by.

"17 Cigarettes" is a funky, melancholic ode to the rock sound of the early 2000s, combining sounds from albums like "All Killer No Filler" by Sum 41 and "Songs About Jane" by Maroon 5. Lyrically, the song alludes to being overwhelmed by the pressures in everyday life while suppressing that stress by using substances to avoid facing these problems head-on. As the song continues, our "narrator" realizes that he's too far gone into these habits and is afraid that there's no way out of this certain way of life, which will eventually lead to his demise. The song shines a light on the frailty of our ability to resist temptation and defeat, especially when faced with new challenges that seem impossible to overcome.

The guitar work on the song is pretty great. Not many GROWERS songs actually feature a really dirty guitar solo, and this one finally does. We usually try to write songs that we think people will want to sing along with. When we first started writing the chords, the melody just fell in place, and felt super infectious. It's one that gets stuck in your head. That's pretty much what we were going for. Obviously the single cover rips off the Marlboro cigarettes logo. We really liked the idea of the warning label on the cigarette pack discouraging people from listening to GROWERS. It just felt punk rock, and right in the pocket of the band's humour.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more about the band here