SPEED release debut album ONLY ONE MODE
PRAISE FOR SPEED
“SPEED does not exist for the sake of just being a band... they want to keep the hardcore scene that shaped them alive, and ensure the baton gets passed to the next generation”
“Unapologetically showcase the power of resilience and community”
“SPEED has, in their brief time, managed to usher in a group of people to this world who may not have previously had any interest in hardcore whatsoever – rare”
“They're not taking the spotlight lightly”
“Their sound and approach is deeply rooted in a rich, and often overlooked subculture. The band’s enthusiasm is high, and their mission is clear – they want you along for the ride”
1. REAL LIFE LOVE
2. DON’T NEED
3. NO LOVE BUT FOR OUR OWN
4. ONLY FOES…
5. THE FIRST TEST
6. KILL CAP
7. SEND THEM 2 SYDNEY
8. SHUT IT DOWN
9. I MEAN IT
10. CAUGHT IN A CRAZE
ONLY ONE MODE LP by SPEED is out now, buy/stream here.
Today, hardcore stalwarts SPEED release their debut album ONLY ONE MODE out through Last Ride Records (AUS) and Flatspot Records (USA). Come August the group will make their welcome return home as they put on some of the biggest hardcore shows ever seen in Australia, supported by High Vis (UK), Pain Of Truth (USA) and Fuse (Singapore), plus local special guests to be announced. LISTEN TO ONLY ONE MODE HERE + BUY TIX HERE.
SPEED and hardcore are two words that have become synonymous on a global scale. The Sydney based band have staked claim on the genre through exhilarating live performances, epic music videos, and staying true to themselves. Their debut exemplifies the band’s growth while still delivering the SPEED ethos. 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.
Lyrics on ONLY ONE MODE embrace perspectives, channeling everything from the loyalty and realness they’ve learnt from hardcore to some of the band’s most vulnerable output yet. It’s a manual that explains SPEED’s beliefs, the five guys’ personalities, what they bring to the table, and what’s special about their scene. The album was produced by Elliott Gallart, vocalist Jem Siow’s oldest high school friend; Jack Rudder, a longtime partner and collaborator, has directed all of SPEED’s music videos. The cover photo was taken by James Hartley, the prolific Australian hardcore photographer from the 2000s, when SPEED first started, as young hardcore kids, going to shows.
Formed in 2019, the members of SPEED – brothers Jem Siow (vocals) and Aaron Siow (bass), guitarists Josh Clayton and Dennis Vichidvongsa, and drummer Kane Vardon – never set out for popularity. When 2021 single ‘We See U‘ was released, the song quickly rose to a million streams, unprecedented for a hardcore act from Sydney at the time. 2022’s Gang Called Speed EP became a definitive moment for the band. Following the critically acclaimed release, SPEED found themselves touring across the world – North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia – and documenting it all along the way.
SPEED are continuing to draw global attention with their sweeping tour schedule and will be playing a sold out record release show in Los Angeles tonight, plus a final string of East Coast performances supporting Have Heart before their triumphant return to Australia in late August. This is a hardcore band from Australia who surpassed what they thought they might do at the start, and has since doubled down, ONLY ONE MODE, as fast and as hard as possible. SPEED are doing what they do for the love of their friends, family and the culture of Australian hardcore. They’re under the global spotlight for now, bright enough that their whole scene’s right there with them.
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