Sicksense: The Quest For Authenticity
Regardless of whether we want to admit it, the music industry has changed and not necessarily for the better. Playlists and streams means tracks are available to us at the poke of a screen. Yet it also makes consumers fickle. Always searching for the next big trend or viral moment to jump on. Does that mean music has become more vapid? In the case of SICKSENSE, not at all.
“This is more of a collection of my own favourite songs,” frontwoman Vicky Psarakis smiles about recent EP Fools Tomorrow. “Though that’s personal taste, of course.” Who are we to question Vicky’s taste when she fronted recently defunct melodic death metal band THE AGONIST? From the ashes of one band rises another, SICKSENSE who penned Fools Tomorrow alongside debut EP Kings Today. The original intention had been to release both as a singular album. Though our old friend COVID-19 laid waste to that plan, thus we have two EPs of unashamed nu-metal.
Recent single Feed Them To The Wolves may be basking in a warm reception now, but it was born of a somewhat difficult writing process. Collaborating with husband Robby Fonts of previous STUCK MOJO notoriety, Vicky would one day be confronted with a lack of enthusiasm. “I thought it was really strange because we were all loving the instrumental track for this and he was second guessing himself.” Self-doubt is a phenomenon all creative types face and this was quickly put to bed when Vicky added her own spin with an added chorus and bridge. “This is what I love about collaborative writing; there’s no ego,” she comments. “Sure, people tend to butt heads but different people bring different things to the table. We just have that respect where I can’t do what he [Robby] does and he can’t do what I do.”
Feed Them To The Wolves comes at a good time for SICKSENSE who aren’t afraid to tell music critics their opinion is wrong. “You put something out there and people will tear it apart,” Vicky states about the track. “The wolves can be anyone, not just critics. They can be your audience, fans, followers, whoever: they’re not necessarily tearing you apart, they’re giving you this vibe that what you’re doing is never enough.” In regards to some comments sections on social media, that is indeed true. A track may not be “heavy” enough, a scream or growl may not be as “meaty”, or worse still, a band may have gone “mainstream” with their sound. Whichever way the bread is buttered, someone will be displeased.
“It’s interesting because I already feel like I’m not good enough sometimes, so it almost becomes a validation,” Vicky muses. Though with so many projects like THE AGONIST, SICKSENSE, and streaming on Twitch under her belt, there’s no external validation for this at all. This is something Vicky herself recognises as she reflects. “This is a lot of stuff. I don’t have a team or anything like that; Robby will help me a lot behind the scenes but I’m not a company with employees and all that. It’s just me.” It’s this clarification which should be brought to the fore a lot more, especially within a fickle industry such as this. “People see a finished track with a music video and they have no idea how many hours of work went into that,” Vicky states with some vexation.
While SICKSENSE are very much a DIY-band, Fools Tomorrow’s title track comes with a guest feature from FOZZY’s Billy Grey. “I love how technical yet melodic that solo is!” Vicky beams. “We actually took his melody and put it in the intro as well because it worked so well and added this new dimension to our song.” One of the final tracks written for the project, Vicky revels in the juxtaposition of light-hearted instrumentals with darker lyrics. “It just came very naturally,” she reveals, “I think that’s down to where I was in my life and sometimes you just need to take something, like your life, apart and build it again to make it better.”
Who other to help keep you motivated than your spouse? As previously mentioned, SICKSENSE is fronted by Vicky and husband Robby, who also tackle most of the writing duties. “There’s an openness and honesty which comes from this dynamic,” Vicky tells us. “It’s hard to have that with someone that isn’t a spouse or a long term-friend.” While it’s said honesty is the best policy, is that always the case with something as personal as song lyrics? For Vicky, the answer would be yes. “Sometimes you have to bear in mind it’s not you personally that’s being criticised but maybe a word or an execution,” she reflects. “Robby’s made me a better lyricist in terms of rap flows because he comes from a hip-hop background where as I’ve helped him become a better lyricist for melodies from my background. We balance each other out.”
It’s this notion of bettering ourselves and striving for better which drives SICKSENSE and validation for doing so can come from the smallest of comments. “We’re reaching new people everyday and some of them can have such an emotional reaction that it takes me back to Feed Them To The Wolves and reminds me that I am doing enough,” she smiles. “As long as I’m still able to write music from a genuine place and positively affect people, then I’m going to do just that.”
Fools Tomorrow is out now via Sound Escape.
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