One year after releasing their widescreen post-punk stomper “Awaiting Hills”, Manchester-by-Calderdale outfit splint are back with the new, heavy 6-minute shoegaze monster “Continuing Endless”.
Out now via Nice Swan Records, the song builds gradually, layering swirling guitars upon a foundation of pounding drums and throbbing basslines. Jake Bogacki’s vocals drift in and out of focus, buried beneath waves of feedback and reverb, adding to the foggy atmosphere. Yet, amidst the haze, there’s an undeniable sense of urgency and intensity that keeps you hooked from start to finish.
Everything that made Chalk’s Conditions great is maximised and perfected in its sequel. Belfast’s group put out another intense collection — their own mixture of noise rock, industrial, and dance-punk elements, creating a visceral and beautiful sound.
Musically, the trio aimed to deepen their exploration of the electronic aspect of the music, striving to capture the vibrancy of their live performances within the studio recordings. They surely don’t shy away from experimentation, incorporating a wide range of influences from electronic music (for example, Aphex Twin) and industrial/noise scenes to create a sound that’s both challenging and captivating.
Conditions II has been released and is now available for streaming and purchase across all major digital platforms via Nice Swan Records. The production work on this EP was handled by Chris Ryan, known for his collaborations with NewDad, Enola Gay, and Just Mustard, alongside Chalk’s Ross Cullen.
Belfast’s Chalk is one of our favourite new bands and it seems that with each release they are only getting better and better. Their output defies easy categorization, drawing from a range of influences while maintaining a distinct identity, and their songs are characterized by a willingness to push boundaries and experiment with sound, making each track a unique and dark journey for the listener.
Chalk live at Waves Vienna’23
It is hard to tag them — there are elements of post-punk, noise, industrial, electronic madness etc. etc. But what really matters is that the final result is just amazing. Their new single is titled “Claw”, and it is the first taste of their upcoming extended play Conditions II (check out the first part here). Speaking ahead of its release on March 1 through Nice Swan Records, bandleader Ross Cullen says the following about it & the song:
“Claw is about falling in love inside a nightmare. There’s a mixture of loss and relief that we wanted to capture. Subconscious feelings are at the crux of most of our tracks – something that we started on Conditions EP. We still feel like we’re in that universe of figuring ourselves out as people and using our sonic palette to make sense of it. There’s still a few feelings we want to explore and staying in the world of Conditions is something we’ve grown to enjoy – we don’t want to leave just yet”.
Chalk also have a set of shows lined up for the next months. Make sure to catch them on any of the dates for the brilliant and energetic performance — the band always gives 100% to every gig.
Chalk performing live at Waves Festival, Vienna’23
“The Gate”, a brand-new single from Belfast trio Chalk strikes hard and immediately. An industrial noise rock number, out now through their new home Nice Swan Records, it is filled with manic vocal delivery, feral percussion and chilling field recordings. The song follows their (insanely good) debut EP Conditions, released earlier this year.
It is out with the appropriately matching horror-ish music video, directed by Benedict Goddard. Speaking about the track, frontman Ross Cullen revealed:
“‘The Gate’ is a song about the pressures that surround you. The first musical part that was written was the ending, which is an ode to ‘Come to Daddy’ by Aphex Twin. I wanted to create a track inspired by Locked Club or Mica Levi, something that had a type of deranged percussion playing at a 1/16 rate. Then I found a drum and bass drum sample which we had Luke re-record in the drum booth. Luke and Ben came up with the vocal delivery for the “Push and Pull” bits then I coloured in the rest. We’re leaning into sampling a lot more – especially our own field recordings – sounds of public transport, and construction that we’ve built a library of”.
Fun, debauched, deranged etc. — many words can help describe the spirit of Opus Kink’s new EP My Eyes, Brother! which are all correct but they won’t give a full picture of how they sound (on record and also live, which is probably the best way to experience this band).
The generous 7-track release is a true gem of garage rock and punk, jazz and everything else you can imagine. From the opening track “Chains”, Opus Kink throw everything in the mix and grab you with catchy instrumentation and sing-along choruses, showcasing their undeniable talent in translating raw energy and inspiration into brilliantly recorded audio material.
Acute Pop 