Only One Mode (CD)

2024 release. To catch everyone up: Australian hardcore band Speed is putting their foot down on the world. For hardcore kids from Sydney, which is where Speed’s from and what they represent, this is a first. Everyone in the band has been going to shows for years-“”real moshers,”” always up front, dancing. During a lull period in their home scene-“”there were no new bands going on””-the guys stepped up and tapped in. Speed decided to start out hard and traditional-a high-level aesthetic decision that, every five years, an all-time hardcore band does. A reset. For their first year, the group referred to itself on flyers and in interviews, as two words-Speed HARDCORE-to make things extra simple. This is what they’re about: Hardcore, played hard, played fast, “”for us, by us””-explicit, immediate, definitive-hinting at all the crucial bands that have come before them. Their debut full length, ONLY ONE MODE, exemplifies their growth and distillation. It’s a concept album in one sense: a manual that explains, directly, Speed’s beliefs, the five guys’ personalities, what they bring to the table, what’s special about their scene.