Running into your ex on a night out usually ends one of two ways: you pretend you haven’t seen them, or you spiral. For Winchester’s Mauro Brenner, it became his debut single.
“No Bad Blood” opens with bright, jangly guitars that immediately set the tone, this isn’t going to be a sad song. The production leans into shimmering indie-pop, equally at home through headphones or in a packed room. Brenner’s vocals sit comfortably in the mix, conversational but with just enough grit to keep things from feeling overproduced.
The chorus is where it really lands, built for sing-alongs, with a melodic hook that sticks after one listen. The guitars punch through with more urgency here, creating a rhythmic drive that feels like forward motion. It’s pop-rock done well: catchy without being disposable, energetic without feeling frantic.
The track came from a night Brenner almost skipped. Running into an ex when you’re out with friends usually means ducking into the nearest toilet or pretending you haven’t seen them. But here, it became something else entirely: a moment of unexpected clarity.
“No Bad Blood came from a night I nearly didn’t go out, which ended up being a really important moment for me,” Brenner explains. “It’s about running into someone from your past and realising you’ve outgrown that version of yourself. It felt like a coming-of-age moment for me, choosing peace over holding onto old hurt. I wanted the song to sound like release, like laughing under neon lights and finally breathing again.“
And that’s exactly what it sounds like. “No Bad Blood” is guitar-driven and deliberately bright, built around a chorus that practically demands you shout along. Brenner writes with the kind of honesty that makes you forget he’s barely out of sixth form, there’s humour in here, and self-awareness, and the relief that comes with realising you’ve outgrown a version of yourself that couldn’t see past someone. It’s not about going back. It’s about stepping forward and meaning it.
For a debut, it sets a clear tone: confessional pop rock that doesn’t take itself too seriously but knows exactly what it’s doing. If this is what Brenner sounds like at 18, he’s going to be an interesting one to watch.
Mauro Brenner launches “No Bad Blood” at The Star in Shoreditch on January 25, 2026. Get tickets here.
Listen to the premiere of “No Bad Blood” below.
