Belfast post-punk/electronic specialists Chalk announce their ‘ConditionsIII’ EP, arriving Feb 21st 2025, and share brand new track ‘Tell Me’ out Oct 8th (following its BBC 6music 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.”