SPEED won’t stop until you do

The Sound and Fury set off a two-year run of awards, opportunities and oddities: SPEED earned a J Award nomination, opened for hardcore heroes Turnstile and Knocked Loose, landed on a 1,000-artist roster WWE 2K video game soundtracks, and have seen their merchandise worn by the likes of Post Malone, Travis BarkerAnd Kourtney Kardashian.

But most importantly, Sound and Fury’s revelatory set became the catalyst for SPEED’s long road to its debut album, ONE MODE ONLY“The reaction we got to that show was beyond anything we could have imagined; it was beyond anything we’d ever seen an Australian hardcore band do before,” Jem explains.

Overnight, SPEED became one of the hottest hardcore bands in the world. Jem estimates they’ve toured the US four or five times, played in Europe and Asia, and regularly sold out venues in Australia. But with just an EP, a split single, and a short demo under their belt, Jem began to worry that “the hype was taking over the substance.”

“To be a band that tours the world, we need an album, and it has to be a good album. We need something that lives up to the respect our audience has for us,” Jem explains.

Many would argue that SPEED have already earned that respect: in five years, the band have progressed with each release and carved out a niche for themselves as a hardcore act beyond their community. They’ve co-headlined shows with Newcastle-born dance guru Mall Grab, as well as Melbourne rappers Miko Mal And Possessed by the shot and Brisbane Nerve while their goods, coming Aaron Del Saato clothing brand, has become a staple in the wardrobes of hardcore kids and streetwear fans.

But if SPEED had anything left to prove, ONE MODE ONLY It’s a relentless 25-minute album that pays homage to the SPEED sound – a refined version of classic ’90s New York hardcore – while using the expanded tracklist to experiment and step outside their comfort zone.

Tracks such as “The first test” launches headlong into a nu-metal jam section that includes a Limp Bizkit-referencing record scratch and the flute, played by Jem. “Kill the bonnet” is a lively and heartbreaking song about the loss of a friend, while the album’s conclusion “Caught in a madness” It’s the longest song SPEED has ever recorded, spanning a hardcore odyssey.

Although the band gives their all on this album, ONE MODE ONLY remains true to what made SPEED a hardcore band that shatters ceilings. While some hardcore thrives because it sounds like a frenetic battle between instruments, SPEED’s songs sound like a symphony that evokes a storm in perfect harmony. It’s the sonic companion to the tsunami-like dust storm in Mad Max: Fury Roada thrilling natural spectacle to be feared and admired, crackling with electricity. At once overwhelming, with everything in its place.