Belfast post-punk/electronic experts Chalk announce their signing to New York City headquartered ALTER Music and share breathtaking new effort ‘Pain’ ahead of their Fontaines D.C. support slot in their hometown this Friday 29 August. Marking the follow-up to their trilogy of Conditions EPs (released via Nice Swan Records), a family of 13 tracks that combine gritty Irish and German-influenced techno and dance music with gothic, post-punk and jagged guitar riffs and vocal melodies, ‘Pain’ heralds a significant moment in the band’s development ahead of their debut US headline tour this November. Having recently sequestered to rural Northern Ireland to work on their debut LP, set for release in early 2026, Chalk’s unique sound has already earned them widespread support and kudos from their peers in Fontaines D.C., IDLES and Sprints, all of whom handpicked the group to play alongside them at various shows throughout the last twelve months.
Spearheaded by award-winning musicians and filmmaker duo Ross Cullen and Benedict Goddard, Chalk have experienced a meteoric rise so far in 2025, with a sold-out UK and European headline tour in the spring followed by debut festival appearances at the likes of Glastonbury and Bilbao BBK to widespread acclaim. Continuing to captivate the press landscape(The Independent, The Standard, NME, DIY, Dork, The Line Of Best Fit, Rolling Stone UK, So Young, The New Cue, Wonderland, Rough Trade, Consequence of Sound, Paste),in addition to multiple spots on the BBC 6 Music playlist and a KEXP session, Chalk are gearing up for a busy autumn with more releases and live dates galore.
Detailing the track’s origins, Cullen stated:
“I started writing from the perspective of wanting to feel untouchable, but it became more about how vulnerability can overtake you. As I wrote, I realised parts of it connected to losing a friend when I was younger, and how that shaped my understanding of life’s fragility.”
Speaking about their accompanying video, Goddard explained:
“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.”
‘Pain’ was produced by Chris Ryan (NewDad, Enola Gay, Just Mustard) and Ross Cullen, mixed by Andrew Dawson (The Rolling Stones, Jay-Z, Tyler, The Creator), and mastered by Chris Gehringer (Lana Del Rey, Lady Gaga, Rihanna).
Chalk Live Dates
August
29 – Belfast Vital (w/ Fontaines D.C.)
November
1- London Calling, Amsterdam
7 – Fox Cabaret, Vancouver, Canada
8 – Freakout Festival, Seattle, USA
9 – Holocene, Portland, USA
11 – Kilowatt, San Francisco, USA
13 – Gold-Diggers, Los Angeles, USA
20 – Baby’s All Right, New York, USA
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