Meet Chuck Sics: The Control Freak Making Beautiful Musical Chaos

There’s lo-fi, and then there’s Chuck Sics—a Sydney-born sonic tinkerer whose debut single ‘Redo’ sounds like it’s been sun-bleached, warped, and somehow made all the more vivid for it. EquRal parts bruised honesty and shimmering texture, Chuck’s music is the kind that spirals from self-loathing to self-awareness in a single breath, riding woozy synths and guitars that shape-shift into each other.

A one-man studio machine, Chuck writes, records, and produces everything himself, forging tracks that pulse with restless curiosity and raw confession. Ahead of his debut show, we caught up to talk about outgrowing self-victimhood, the charm of sonic imperfections, and how sometimes the best music comes from leaving your songs out in the sun a little too long.

---

WATCH / LISTEN TO 'REDO'

Chuck, let’s start simple — who are you, what do you do, and what kind of musical mess are you making?

I am Chuck, I make music, and I’m trying to make music that sounds like it was left in the sun too long.

‘Redo’ is a bold debut — beautifully hazy on the outside, emotionally raw on the inside. Where did this one come from?

This is one of my earliest songs, and I had actually just started messing around with synthesisers, putting them in my songs. I was really interested in the combination of guitars and synths and how they can overlap sonically, and almost sound like each other at times. So I tried to make my guitar sound like a synth, and my synths sound like guitars.

You’ve spoken pretty openly about rejection, shame, and even owning your own immaturity in this song. Was it difficult to be that honest?

No — I think I find it quite easy to address my flaws in my lyrics. I am naturally quite self-deprecating, and I think it’s valuable to acknowledge flaws, because that's how you grow. I like to think my lyrics help me grow.

STEE

There's a really interesting twist in ‘Redo’ — from self-victimising to self-awareness. At what point did that narrative flip for you?

I think I cringe at the whole “woe is me” thing in lyrics, and so when I catch myself doing it, I feel the need to contradict it. I think it’s natural to write from a place of sadness or pain, but it’s very easy to indulge those feelings rather than question them, so I always try to question them as I’m writing. I think it makes narratives more interesting and honest.

You wrote, played, recorded, produced, and mixed this track all yourself. What’s the appeal of doing it all solo — and what’s the biggest challenge?

The appeal is that I get to be a control freak and nobody can stop me. The challenge is, after a while, you start to second-guess everything, and it becomes really difficult to share it with people. You really can let the perfect be the enemy of the good when it’s just you.

There's a lo-fi charm to the track, but it's also super considered — from the sampled drums to the synth textures. How did you find the final shape of the sound?

Through lots of mistakes, trial, and error. But also, I really wanted it to sound like a band was playing it, so I restricted myself with the number of parts in the song. That really helped me cut the fat, and also make the essential parts as good as they could be, I think.

You’ve been playing instruments since primary school — from trumpet to piano to guitar, bass, drums, and vocals. Which one feels most like home now?

Bass, absolutely. I play it a lot in bands and I really am in love with where it sits in an arrangement. It just feels very intuitive.

You said you were once terrified of singing your own songs. What changed? What pushed you to front your own material?

I tried to make other singers sing my songs, and it was just too weird. I was very reluctant, but I was just very particular about how they needed to be sung, so eventually I gave it a shot. I used to idolise instrumentalists: pianists, guitarists, etc. Then I started really loving some singers, who made me feel like I could do what they did. Or maybe I just started wishing I could do what they did. I fell in love with the idea of being able to do it all, and I’ve been working towards that ever since.

There’s a clear nod to artists like Radiohead and Tame Impala — are there any albums or artists that helped shape your sound or sensibilities the most?

OK Computer by Radiohead and Lonerism by Tame Impala were huge for me. Such consistently beautiful and exciting albums with instrumentals and melodies that I really loved, and wanted to recreate in my own way. The Beatles also really informed my musical sensibilities from a young age, as my parents would play them all the time.

What do you hope listeners take away from ‘Redo’ — especially those who might be nursing a little heartbreak themselves?

The lesson you most need to learn is in the task you’re most afraid of doing. That is probably a bit of a stretch, but in the case of this song, that task would be learning to acknowledge and accept the parts of you you don’t like, and having the will to grow from them and become better. Treat people better, treat yourself better. You don’t have to be a martyr.

Do you collect records yourself? If so, what’s one that’s never left your shelf?

I have some records, yes. The one I love the most is The Royal Scam by Steely Dan. The production and mixing are beautiful, and listening to it on vinyl just feels right. It’s very old, so it’s scratchy and a bit distorted, but that can be a beautiful thing.

If ‘Redo’ got the wax treatment — what would the artwork look like, and what colour would the vinyl be?

Well, the cover art would probably be the same, but the beauty of a vinyl record is you get the back cover, and sometimes the gatefold. More motion-blur photos. The disc would probably be red, with the artworks being green and blue.

And finally — what’s coming next for Chuck Sics? More music, more self-produced therapy sessions, or something else entirely?

All of the above, and then some. Me and my band will be playing a debut show next month on July 11th at the Trocadero Room in Enmore, so come hang. There’ll be more music before then, too.

Listen to Chuck Sics' 'Redo' and other Heatseekers: