Act a fool and face a gang called Speed

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Published May 19, 2022 by Team Blunt

If ever there was a time for civility, it’s long gone.

It’s clear that any form of regressive ideology that still lingers on from the ‘Beforetimes’, can now only be dealt with by sheer brutality. This intensity is Sydney band SPEED’s entire raison d’etre, funneling their rage and resistance into their brand new cut, ‘NOT THAT NICE’, the first jab thrown from their forthcoming album, GANG CALLED SPEED, set to hit these streets Friday, 24th June through Hardcore trendsetters Last Ride Records / Flatspot Records.

‘NOT THAT NICE’ is a jaggered, angular chunk of hardcore, hurled at your ears with a meteoric pace. Not melodic hardcore, not metalic hardcore – just the rough and tumble, unapologetic hardcore of old that is so sorely missing from most playlists and stages these days. ‘NOT THAT NICE’ is a gee-up to those who get it – and a stern threat to those who don’t.

Lyrically, ‘NOT THAT NICE’ wasn’t so much inspired by the wave of anti-Asian sentiment amid the global pandemic so much as it was molded by it – it’s not a careful, civil retort, it’s a German suplex.

“I found myself thinking, ‘This is someone’s grandma, grandpa, mum, dad, child’…Unfortunately, much of this stems from the often perverted portrayal of Asian stereotypes in the media,” vocalist Jem explains. “To be submissive, weak, passive, silent.. to the scared and uneducated few, the sad reality is that this rhetoric translates to oppression and real-world violence.”

This song is simply about taking control of your own identity, writing your own narrative. I think the experience of misrepresentation is a common one for many. I feel privileged to live a life of confidence in speaking out and walking my own path… hopefully, this song in some way can empower others to feel a similar sense of courage.”

In a short space of time, SPEED have managed to hit a nerve. Since their previous single ‘WE SEE U’, the band have been invited to fan their flames throughout the land, with a number of live shows on the horizon, before taking it to the rest of the world with a festival slot at LA’s Sound And Fury Festival.