By Keith Walsh
Bassist Nigel Dettelbach is my best connection to the band Slipping Into Darkness. Unfortunately, he’s notoriously hard to get ahold of. Which is a shame, because the band’s just released second album, Second Wind For Our Love is worth writing about.

I did manage to get a few words out him, in between his duties at various jobs, including running a recording studio, managing a yard full of hens and roosters, and taking care of chihuahuas. Which is better than nothing. The new album produced by the team of Eduardo Arenas of Chicano Batman and Pete Dee of The Adicts boasts a vintage sound, with lots of tasty classic psychedelic, proto punk and pop sounds. Second Wind For Our Love was engineered by Cameron Webb of Motörhead, who also engineered works by P.O.D and Megadeth. I knew some of the influences, but wanted to hear it from Dettelbach himself. I messaged him on Facebook Messenger.

‘What are some influences on the album?” I asked. “Alice Cooper, Love It To Death” came his terse reply. I wanted to know more, so I was persistent. How did they achieve the vintage sound – surely their gear is of classic stock? “Pure vintage,” he replied. “Old Ampeg guitar combo. I got old amps and pedals too. Fender amps though for guitar.” While all of the instruments and vocals contribute to the catchy, dreamy, classic sound of the 11 track disc, the guitars are especially notable for their 60s sound, both in the more poppier and hard rocking tunes. In addition to Dettelbach on bass, Slipping Into Darkness features Adrian Carreño on lead guitar, Emanuel Cazares on rhythm guitar, Damien García on drums, and Michael Durazo on vocals.

The album is great for an evening listen — it’s instantly enjoyable and as the melodies become familiar, it becomes a favorite. One unmistakable influence is the rock pop of The Kinks. It’s unmistakable because there is a Kinks cover by the band on YouTube, “This Strange Effect.” Though it didn’t make it on to the album, the upbeat rock feeling is all over Second Wind For Our Love.

Slipping Into Darkness is located in the far reaches of the Inland Empire in Southern California, where the cities of Palm Springs and Palm Desert flow outward into the high desert. The heat there this summer has only inspired them to new levels of creativity. And luckily for us, the pandemic has not stopped them from creating a music video of their lead single and title track. The band has eluded he sophomore jinx by creating something very special.

Slipping Into Darkness On Facebook
Slipping Into Darkness On YouTube

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