Music
A stirring debut album that reflects the complexities of their Belfast background…
13 · 03 · 2026
Chalk’s roots are hugely influential on their debut album ‘Crystalpunk’ released via ALTER Music. The complex society of the North of Ireland is the driving force of this album, at times chaotic and at other times, tense. It is a letter to Belfast, the city that created them, mired in conflict and complexity at almost every turn.
The duo mix both punk and electronic sensibilities to exhilarating effect. ‘Crystalpunk’ takes this duality to the next level. A prime example is ‘Skem’ with its electronic beats which have a touch of anxiety, a hint of danger. Dominated by instrumental techno the echoey lyrics lurk in the shadows, a reminder of the human element, of the people who are born into the challenges of this city.
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On album opener ‘Tongue’ Chalk’s Ross Cullen and Benedict Goddard, exude a sense of frustration with a visceral intensity which takes the listener aback. The duo wrote a manifesto when they began working on this album and at the top of the list was a rule to create by: “This is the only Chalk album that will ever exist”.
They also open their hearts on ‘Crystalpunk’. The storytelling of ‘Can’t Feel It’ and ‘One Nine Eight Zero’ feel intensely personal. The former explores regret for past feelings and thoughts left unshared whilst the latter expresses a desire to turn back the clock, hindsight providing the wish to relive the past in a different way. Elsewhere ‘Béal Feirste’ (Belfast in Irish) is an eight-minute epic, swirling in an Underworld-inspired soundscape warping in and out, and given the respect of being as long as is required. The influence of dance music is also clear on ‘Pain’ with its nod to The Prodigy. It’s a pulsating track which never takes its foot off the pedal. “It hurts when you’re not around” sings Cullen, referring to the pain of love perhaps. Latest single ‘Longer’ is a completely different thing altogether, arriving dark and heavy, the industrial guitar is accompanied by a vocal full of anguish. The track exudes emotion, this overflowing at one point creating a moment of raw honesty which strikes at the very core.
Music was a safe space during the conflict in Northern Ireland with punk gigs and dancefloors providing a relief from the tension outside their walls. Nearly thirty years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement however, Belfast is still largely divided between Protestant and Catholic neighbourhoods and institutions. This is the genesis of ‘Crystalpunk’, the friction poured into Chalk’s creativity. The result is electrifying, a thrilling homage to the city of their birth. Live it will be unforgettable. It is clear the duo have poured everything into this album. Let’s just hope that it’s not “the only Chalk album that will ever exist.”
8/10
Words: Julia Mason
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