Belfast post-punk/electronic specialists Chalk announce ‘Conditions III’ EP, arriving February 21st 2025, and share brand new track ‘Tell Me’ (video here), out today (October 8th – on DSPs 5:30pm following its BBC 6 Music Huw Stephens premiere) via Nice Swan Records (English Teacher, Sprints, Opus Kink).
Arriving alongside news of an extensive 2025 UK/IRE/EU tour, including a headliner at London’s Village Underground on March 6th, ‘Tell Me’ marks the first reveal from their upcoming third EP, aptly titled ‘Conditions III’ and ends the trilogy that launched their career. Fusing elements of heavy guitar music, electronica and breakbeat into a euphoric and frightening finished project, and recorded against the backdrop of bleak landscapes and Nordic vistas in remote northern Iceland, Chalk have shown another evolution in their already confrontational sound.
Winners of the ‘Best Live Act’ at the NI Music Prize in late 2023, Chalk have certainly proved worthy of this title with sold-out headline shows across the UK and Europe, festival appearances galore and impressive tour support for the likes of IDLES, Sprints and PVA. With multiple appearances already on the BBC 6 Music playlist, the band have also earned plaudits throughout the press landscape (The Independent, NME, DIY, Dork, Rolling Stone UK, So Young, The New Cue, Rough Trade, Consequence of Sound), as they prime themselves for their thrilling new chapter.
Discussing their latest effort, frontman Ross Cullen explained: “‘Tell Me’ is the first release of our trilogy-ending third EP ‘Conditions III’. For this track, we conjured up a world in which the song’s protagonist is running away from a dark past into unknown territory, encountering an unsuspecting new acquaintance on their journey. It’s a song that dives head-first into themes of the unknown, breaking norms, and a feeling of running away and never wanting to return again. It explores the idea that life is moving rapidly around us and the lack of belonging, confusion, and disassociation one experiences on their journey, growing older in an increasingly discouraging and bleak urban landscape. These are themes of which we’ve scratched the surface with ‘Conditions’ and ‘Conditions II’; but we want to delve even deeper into their grittier sides as we continue to figure ourselves out along the way.”
Detailing the accompanying visuals, Ben Goddard added: “Within the ‘Tell Me’ video we wanted to focus on creating a pressure cooker of tension encapsulated in the confined space of a car and heightened by the physical presence of a guilty conscience. Visually, we were inspired by the dramatic lighting of 1970s Italian horror films, such as Suspiria. We wanted to add further intensity and stylisation to the video through the use of constant heavy rain and hand-built a rain machine to achieve this effect. We were able to realise this vision with our fantastic cast and crew, including Desmond Eastwood, Venetia Bowe and our director of photography, Alba Fernandez.”
Produced by Chris Ryan (NewDad, Enola Gay, Just Mustard) and Ross Cullen, Chalk’s ‘Tell Me’ is out now via Nice Swan Records and available on all digital platforms.
Chalk is Ross Cullen (Vocals), Benedict Goddard (Guitar, Synth), Luke Niblock (Drums)
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Live Dates
27th Feb 2025 – King Tuts, Glasgow
28th Feb 2025 – Band on the Wall, Manchester
1st Mar 2025 – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
4th Mar 2025 – Bodega, Nottingham
6th Mar 2025 – Village Underground, Village
7th Mar 2025 – Strange Brew, Bristol
8th Mar 2025 – Concorde 2, Brighton
9th Mar 2025 – Heebie Jeebies, Liverpool
12th Mar 2025 – Paradiso, Amsterdam
13th Mar 2025 – Trix Bar, Brussels
14th Mar 2025 – La Lune des Pirates, Amiens
15th Mar 2025 – Maroquinerie, Paris
17th Mar 2025 – L’Astrolab, Orleans
18th Mar 2025 – Marché Gare, Lyon
20th Mar 2025 – Artteater, Cologne
21st Mar 2025 – Kantine am Berghain, Berlin
22nd Mar 2025 – Turmzimmer, Hamburg
26th Mar 2025 – Locomotiv, Bologna
27th Mar 2025 – Arci Bellezza, Milan
29th Mar 2025 – M4music Festival, Zurich
10th Apr 2025 – Ulster Sports, Belfast
12th Apr 2025 – Whelans, Dublin