REVIEW: CHALK - Crystalpunk
- Julia Stark
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Experimental dance-rock is taking the music scene by storm in Belfast, and Irish-duo CHALK are a maelstrom on their own, stacking heavy rock instruments with steady EDM beats fused with distinct, commanding lyrics that speak of the duo’s upbringing in an unpredictable environment of Northern Ireland and the volatile changes of identity so many Irish people lived through. Utilising a range of award-winning musical and filmmaking skills from singer ROSS CULLEN and multi-instrumentalist BEN GODDARD, they draw on their life experiences and emotions to deliver a sound that feels cinematic, contradictory, and at times destabilising. Their full-length LP Crystalpunk, released by ALTER Music, is not a feel-good album or an album to find comfort in, it’s designed to keep you expecting the unexpected.
From the opening track Tongue, this rises from a restrained and intermittent beat to a frenetic sound that swaps punchy drum beats whilst maintaining the fast-paced momentum, the lyrics of “should I go fuck myself” and melody building from a tentative ask to a demand to a screamed rebellion. Not letting up on the speed but changing the vibe, Pain’s melody is upbeat and almost something you’d play in a triumphant moment, if not for the vulnerable lyrics and gradual scream of agony that contrast against the addictive synth and drums. The ending mantra “he had bones made of brick” feels open to interpretation.
Perhaps the most juxtaposed track, Can’t Feel It begins with a softer approach before launching into fast EDM sounds with a repetitive beat and instruments played under yearning lyrics of a time and feeling you can’t get back, a new layer of instrument added in to blend into a cacophony of feeling everything. Longer fires in with a heavier metal rock sound emphasising the guitar riff, contradicting the softer vocals first used in verse before the chorus throws out a desperate plea to “wait a little longer”. The rhythm quietens down mid-track for the feeling to sink in before the guitar and backing beat break in with power, a final “just wait a little longer” heard in a visceral scream before the soft lyrics are reintroduced.
One Nine Eight Zero tells a story of pain crossing generations over lively instrumental beats and subtle auto tune on specific singing parts. Slowing down on the bridge to an indie-folk vibe, the melody crashes back in before becoming dreamlike to the end. The lyrics are almost defeatist and against the track it becomes a little surreal. At less than 60 seconds, Eclipse completely slows down with a harmonized, monotonously steady tone and raw lyrics that give it a sci-fi feel. Skem flips the LP on its head with a fluctuating dance that breaks the tension felt so far. There are mere seconds of a quiet interlude and a quietly spoken “tune it out” before it crashes into an intense EDM beat that is jarring and speeds into a chaotic instrumental run at the end. It’s the sort of tune you’d hear in Blade’s nightclub. Jumping straight in with immediate yells of “I don’t care” that echo and glitch out, I.D.C. features complex layers of instruments throughout that feel they’re gearing up to get intense at unexpected times, instead giving you a steady beat. It’s not until the final breakdown that the tender vocals build in power alongside the beat.
Béal Feirste, Gaelic for ‘Belfast’, plays at 8 minutes of repetitious lyrics and instrumental sounds and beats through, breaking down to a trancelike sound halfway through and then gradually building back in a snappy beat while “we’re standing shoulder to shoulder” plays in a looped round, showcasing Irish solidarity. Rounding out the LP, Ache has very low vocals that sound like a murmur in your ear, ramping up from a sense of intimacy to something unsettling. The guitar riff fades in and out before reaching a jarring level against a mellow beat, the ending fading one instrument out at a time to create an ominous sci-fi sound.
Crystalpunk feels like soundtracks to various genres taking you on a journey, while the words root you in the feeling of loss and nostalgia for yourself or someone else, a juxtaposed sound you can rave, mosh to, or feel catharsis.
Score: 7/10
Crystalpunk will be released on Friday 13th March 2026 via ALTER Music.
Words: Julia Stark
Photos: Glenn Norwood
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