SPEED and hardcore are two words that have become synonymous on a global scale. The Sydney based band have staked claim on the genre through exhilarating live performances, epic music videos, and staying true to themselves. Their debut exemplifies the band’s growth while still delivering the SPEED ethos. This is what they’re about: hardcore, played hard, played fast, “for us, by us” – explicit, immediate, definitive – hinting at all the crucial bands that have come before them. Lyrics on ONLY ONE MODE embrace perspectives, channeling everything from the loyalty and realness they’ve learnt from hardcore to some of the band’s most vulnerable output yet. It’s a manual that explains SPEED’s beliefs, the five guys’ personalities, what they bring to the table, and what’s special about their scene. The album was produced by Elliott Gallart, vocalist Jem Siow’s oldest high school friend; Jack Rudder, a longtime partner and collaborator, has directed all of SPEED’s music videos. The cover photo was taken by James Hartley, the prolific Australian hardcore photographer from the 2000s, when SPEED first started, as young hardcore kids, going to shows. Formed in 2019, the members of SPEED – brothers Jem Siow (vocals) and Aaron Siow (bass), guitarists Josh Clayton and Dennis Vichidvongsa, and drummer Kane Vardon – never set out for popularity. When 2021 single ‘We See U‘ was released, the song quickly rose to a million streams, unprecedented for a hardcore act from Sydney at the time. 2022’s Gang Called Speed EP became a definitive moment for the band. Following the critically acclaimed release, SPEED found themselves touring across the world – North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia – and documenting it all along the way. SPEED are continuing to draw global attention with their sweeping tour schedule and will be playing a sold out record release show in Los Angeles tonight, plus a final string of East Coast performances supporting Have Heart before their triumphant return to Australia in late August. This is a hardcore band from Australia who surpassed what they thought they might do at the start, and has since doubled down, ONLY ONE MODE, as fast and as hard as possible. SPEED are doing what they do for the love of their friends, family and the culture of Australian hardcore. They’re under the global spotlight for now, bright enough that their whole scene’s right there with them. Tracklist 1. REAL LIFE LOVE2. DON’T NEED3. NO LOVE BUT FOR OUR OWN4. ONLY FOES…5. THE FIRST TEST6. KILL CAP7. SEND THEM 2 SYDNEY8. SHUT IT DOWN9. I MEAN IT10. CAUGHT IN A CRAZE
Related
Related
Related
Related