Chuck Sics Takes Us Inside His Debut EP ‘Slipstream’ — A Track-By-Track Journey Through Dread, Dreams and Self-Discovery

Sydney-based indie artist and multi-instrumentalist Chuck Sics is peeling back the layers of his mind with his recently released debut EP, Slipstream. Blending introspective lyricism with lush, immersive soundscapes, Slipstream is a five-track deep dive into the modern psyche, exploring procrastination, dread, and the fragile beauty of self-reflection.

Following a string of standout singles — Redo, M.A.D, and his most recent offering I’ve Been Thinking — Chuck Sics has carved a space for himself as one of Sydney’s most intriguing emerging artists. Drawing sonic influence from the worlds of Radiohead and Tame Impala, the EP showcases his versatility as a writer, producer, and performer, with Chuck handling every instrument and mix himself.

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At its heart, Slipstream is an introspective journey through the chaos of creativity — where late-night thoughts, looping anxieties, and fleeting moments of peace collide. It’s the sound of an artist navigating both the outer world and the one inside his head.

We caught up with Chuck Sics to take a closer look at each track from Slipstream — a record five years in the making — as he walks us through the stories, emotions, and midnight musings behind every song.

Redo

Redo is a song about wanting a do-over. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable is scary, and this song is about wishing you’d kept your feelings to yourself instead of broadcasting them to the world. Not just because it can be embarrassing, but also because it can be unfair. Sometimes expressing the way you feel doesn’t help anybody, even yourself. Obviously this is not the case all of the time – expressing yourself is important – but I think a lot of my songs are written about these knee-jerk reactions I tend to have. The urge to implode after a minor embarrassment is probably an overreaction. So I guess you could say the song itself is an overreaction. Smart. Think about it.

M.A.D

This song sounds like a manifestation of anxiety, to me at least. It’s a bit off-kilter, it’s fast, it’s breathless, and it loops and repeats itself like a constant negative voice inside your head. The song is about worrying that if people get to know you too well then they will become bored with you, or find you unattractive, or whatever. So the instinct is to push people away, or avoid people, etc. I’m realising I have a lot of potentially unhealthy knee-jerk reactions to things. woops. 

Slipstream

Slipstream is about not sleeping enough, having nightmares, wanting to move unnoticed through life and the uncomfortable situations it presents you with. Are these songs all the same? I dunno. I have a lot of nightmares with zombies in them, and they’re all about surviving, and in a zombie apocalypse surviving is all about remaining hidden. I’ve always felt as though these specific dreams are the result of real world stresses I’m experiencing at any given time in my life, so I find it interesting to draw a parallel between fear of the supernatural, and a fear of reality. aight boom.

I’ve Been Thinking

This song is about procrastination. It took the longest to make out of all of them funnily enough. I suppose it’s about having a goal, something you really hope to achieve, and totally avoiding doing any work towards it because you’re afraid of not doing a good job. How many songs do you need to write to call yourself a songwriter? Is it a number of songs, or the rate at which you pump them out? Can you call yourself a songwriter if you haven’t written one in 6 months? Scary stuff. Don’t think about it.

Alone On A Plane

This is my favourite on the record. I had a dream one night where I woke up on a plane that had crashed and sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Everyone else got out but I was left behind. Strangely, I didn’t feel so bad. It was quite a peaceful dream. That sounds pretty emo but I do remember feeling kind of okay about it. This  song is based on that dream, and the feeling it gave me. I suppose I felt quite wise when I woke up that day. The best part for me is that the song actually sounds like that experience to me now. They feel unified. Even right down to the wavy synth and the bubbly sounds. Now that I’ve pointed it out it feels on the nose but I swear it was a fluke. Anyway, I’m proud of this one.