We were absolutely thrilled to be asked to review Chucky Trading Co’s latest single, In the Dark, today. We previously reviewed the single, Tonight We Will Live Forever, and absolutely loved it.
In The Dark starts strongly and confidently and we almost immediately relaxed and knew we were in for an enjoyable ride. The fuzz guitar in the intro works so well, and the harmony added to it is a wonderful touch.
In the dark ticks just about all the boxes for us as far as “sounds like” artists. Vocally a little Michael Ball, but also a touch of 80s Geoff Tate (Queensryche) in the gentler moments. With some Bob Seger style piano touches and some gorgeous Deep Purple style hammond fills, In The Dark just oozes 70s/80s classic rock influences. With incidental Santana toned guitar and some very Santana sounding influence on the percussion as well, you’re in for the time of your life if this is your era. Perhaps a hint of Toto’s “Africa” in the rhythm section too, just for good measure!
Because of the mish-mash of influences, Chucky Trading Co manage, very convincingly, to sound like a whole new 70s artist that you just accidentally missed at the time.
We really love the hammond section with the layered vocals. The lyrics are very clear in the mix and each channel has been given plenty of space to breathe. The chorus is catchy with repeated lines and paints a great picture with very few words; “in the dark, your thoughts will wander”.
The rise and fall in In The Dark is superb. There’s lots of different sections to this 5 minute song, and with very clear distinctions between them, you don’t find yourself bored at any point.
In The Dark has been expertly scored, with the gaps between the lyrics being filled with guitar riffs and other things to listen to. The song maintains interest easily throughout.
There’s some fantastic use of stereo and panning to fill out the sound and the only thing we could even begin to consider tweaking would be perhaps just a touch more compression on the lead vocals. There were times that they were poking through a little too much and other times when there was just a slight drop in clarity and volume.
We found all of our heads nodding throughout this classy classic rock anthem. Chucky Trading Co have managed to bring their extremely unique collection of sounds and influences into a scenario where everything feels familiar but incredibly fresh and new at the same time. What a talent! This song is our find of the day, and we can’t wait to hear what Chucky Trading Co do next!