CHALK
- bizzarre
- 11 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Belfast post-punk/electronic maestros CHALK release debut album ‘Crystalpunk’, via ALTER Music & share the video for the single 'Longer'.
Rooted in the experience of growing up in the North of Ireland - a place where national identity has never been simple - ‘Crystalpunk’ encapsulates the beauty, confusion, complexity, and intensity of the duo’s youth. Under the shadow and around the scars of conflict, and entangled in the living and breathing hybrid of industrial dance punk encoded in the record’s DNA, ‘Crystalpunk’ showcases a band flying a flag for their generation.
Partnering with NYC headquartered label ALTER Music for their debut album release, CHALK reveal the video to 'Longer', their final single on the album which follows singles ‘Pain’, ‘Can’t Feel It’, ‘I.D.C.’ and ‘Tongue’.
Built on the musical history that shaped them: the punk scene of the ‘70s and ‘80s, and the rave culture of the ‘90s through to today, these subcultures weren’t just genres - they were the only safe spaces during the conflict and heavily influence CHALK’s first full-length effort.
A collision of punk and electronic music, ‘Crystalpunk'’s identity was established through punk gigs and on dancefloors; the cultural and political choices made in these rooms established the foundations for the duo’s generation to escape the bombs, bullets, and binaries of the past.
The record comes out to widespread acclaim, with multiple 5-Star reviews at international media outlets, appearances on the BBC 6 Music playlist and their second KEXP session.
Primed for a mammoth twelve months, the group will play SXSW before kicking off their biggest UK and Ireland headline tour yet in April (including a hometown show at Limelight (May 16th) and London’s iconic Electric Ballroom on July 24th), with a busy summer ahead on the festival circuit as they capitalise on previous supports with peers in Fontaines D.C., IDLES and Sprints.
Spearheaded by award-winning musicians and filmmaker duo Ross Cullen and Benedict Goddard, CHALK have certainly experienced a meteoric rise in recent times.
Speaking ahead of their album release, the band added:
“This record is us waving a flag for that generation — the ones who inherited confusion, resilience, and a fractured sense of self. The world of the album pulls from the cultural landscape that shaped us, and is a homage to the music and individuals that built it."
Produced by longtime creative cohort Chris Ryan (NewDad, Enola Gay, Just Mustard) and Ross Cullen, mixed by Scott Desmarais (Post Malone, Lizzo, blink-182), and mastered by Chris Gehringer (Lana Del Rey, Lady Gaga, Rihanna), CHALK’s ‘Crystalpunk’ is out now via ALTER Music and available on all digital platforms.
CHALK is Ross Cullen (Vocals, Producer), Benedict Goddard (Guitar, Synth)
Photo by Arann McCormack
Live Dates
13 MAR - 19 MAR - SXSW (USA)20 MAR - Frequency Festival, Dallas, Texas (USA)
21 MAR - Sleeping Village, Chicago, Illinois (USA)
25 MAR - Larimer Lounge, Denver, Colorado (USA)
27 MAR - Treefort, Idaho (USA)
10 APR - Botanique Rotonde, Brussels (BEL)
11 APR - Trabendo, Paris (FRA)
13 Apr - L’Amperage, Grenoble (FRA)
15 Apr - Santeria Toscana, Milan (ITA)
16 APR - Bogen F, Zurich (CH)
18 APR - Lido, Berlin (GER)
20 APR - Tolhuistuin, Amsterdam (NL)
22 APR - The Fleece, Bristol (UK)
24 APR - Gorilla, Manchester (UK)
25 APR - The Wardrobe, Leeds (UK)
14 MAY - The Arts School, Glasgow (UK)
15 MAY - The Button Factory, Dublin (IRE)
16 MAY - Limelight, Belfast (NI)
20 MAY - Bearded Theory, Derbyshire (UK)
23 MAY - A Stone’s Throw Festival, North Shields (UK)
24 MAY - Wanderlust Festival, Southampton (UK)
13 JUN - God Save The Kouign Festival, Penmarc'h (FRA)
24 JUL - Electric Ballroom, London (UK)
26 AUG - Custom House Square, Belfast (w/ IDLES) (UK)
