[video] Chalk – Pain

acute.pop

Chalk don’t ease you in — with “Pain,” they throw you headfirst into their heaviest, most claustrophobic sound yet. The Belfast band (now a duo) has unleashed the latest single, marking their first release since signing to ALTER Music.

Chalk live in Vienna ’23

A rough, punchy blast of industrial rock, the song is both heavy and irresistibly catchy – taking the intensity of their acclaimed Conditions trilogy EP and pushing it even further. It’s a fierce statement of intent that hints at what’s to come in this next chapter of the band.

The track arrives with a gripping video, directed by Benedict Goddard & Colin Peppard. Speaking on the visuals, Goddard revealed:

“We shot the video on the same camera they used for 28 Days Later. We wanted the footage to have an authentic gritty yet nostalgic texture that emphasised the ideas of the song, and the album as a whole. This is the beginning of the new era of Chalk”.

The duo are stepping into darker, louder, and more unrelenting territory. And in the process, they’re proving themselves to be one of the very best new acts to emerge in the aftermath of the chaos of the 2020s.

Watch below.

[ep] Sex Week – Upper Mezzanine

acute.pop

Upper Mezzanine by Sex Week is a striking EP that thrives on contrast, stitching together shadowy atmospheres with bursts of playful, melody-driven energy. It’s the kind of record that feels moody on the surface but quickly reveals itself to be warm, inviting, and surprisingly catchy—a collection you’ll want to revisit as soon as it ends.

The standout, “Coach” (which, as mentioned by the duo, has Romanian popcorn incorporated in it, and God that was a great idea) distils everything the band does best: it’s intimate yet expansive, tinged with nostalgia while still sounding fresh, and easily ranks among the most affecting songs released in recent memory.

Listen below and get the EP here.

[album] Wreck and Reference – Stay Calm

acute.pop

It doesn’t begin so much as it materialises—Stay Calm by Wreck and Reference arrives like a signal intercepted from somewhere unstable, its shape shifting the moment you think you’ve grasped it. Pressing play feels less like listening to an album and more like opening a strange portal, where unpredictability is the only constant.

Across their catalogue, that volatility has been the band’s signature, but here they refine it into something even sharper. The record folds together post-metal weight, noise rock abrasion, and stretches of drone, all threaded with uncanny, glitchy and weird synths that refuse to sit still or be pinned down. What’s most striking is how seamlessly it all coheres, compact, deliberate, and sculpted with precision.

More than just an experiment in sound, Stay Calm lands like a direct response to the global unravelling of the past five years or so, a soundtrack to collective anxiety, depression and general unease. Its release feels perfectly timed, as though the duo have distilled chaos into a form that both reflects and steadies it. It’s unnerving, cathartic, and oddly reassuring—a record that thrives in the tension between collapse and control.

Stream below and purchase the album here.

[song] Legss – See No Evil

acute.pop

London band Legss, who recently caught attention with “909” and “Gloss”, are back with another striking release titled “See No Evil”.

This song, part of the band’s upcoming debut album Unreal (set to release on September 12), finds the group experimenting with fresh ground. Known for their jagged, brooding edge, they step into brighter territory here, crafting what they call their “angsty late-summer pop anthem”. The result is nothing short of brilliant.

Listen below and pre-order the LP here.

[video] Molly Nilsson – How Much Is The World

acute.pop
Molly Nilsson performing live in Milan ’22

Last month, Molly Nilsson released “How Much Is The World”, the first single from her upcoming album Amateur, out October 10 via Dark Skies Association and Night School Records.

The song is a bold and haunting number that asks what value we place on the world around us. With its pulsing synths and Molly’s unmistakable voice, it sets the tone for an album that celebrates imperfection, passion and the joy of living and creating without fear of mistakes. It is out along with a music video she created herself.

Nilsson also explains that the album is called Amateur because she embraces the original meaning of the word, as a lover or admirer, rather than its modern sense of inexperience. She sees “amateurism” as a joyful, rebellious refusal to chase mastery or societal expectations, celebrating the freedom to love, experiment, fail, and have fun. The album reflects this spirit: a dedication to passion and imperfection, doing things fully and unapologetically, just for the love of it.

Watch below and pre-order the record on Bandcamp.