CHALK "Crystalpunk" Album Review

"Crystalpunk" Album Art

Kay Joseph | March 2026

It’s “Crystalpunk” release day!

The Belfast-based duo Chalk, consisting of musicians and filmmakers Ross Cullen and Benedict Goddard, dropped their highly anticipated debut album today and graced BRUIT. with an early look. 

Chalk formed in 2022 and mainlines the reaction between genres, eras and cultures, incorporating this collision into their sound. 

They explain: “The world of the album pulls from the cultural landscape that shaped us and is a homage to the music and individuals that built it: the punk scene of the ‘70s and ‘80s, and the rave culture of the ‘90s through today. 

“Those subcultures weren’t just genres; they were the only safe spaces during the conflict.”

Track 1 – Tongue

The album kicks off with “Tongue”, the last single to be released before the album was released. For our full thoughts on this single, read Matias’ article here!

Track 2 – Pain

“Pain” displays a raw and authentic vulnerability in Cullen’s vocals. With The Prodigy-esque instrumentals, the track dives into wanting to feel untouchable, which becomes evident with lyrics such as “Come kiss my ring / I’ll be the king / Just leave your last breath out for me”. 

Goddard commented on the track: “I started writing from the perspective of wanting to feel untouchable, but it became more about how vulnerability can overtake you. 

“As I wrote, I realised parts of it connected to losing a friend when I was younger and how that shaped my understanding of life’s fragility.” 

The transition into this fragility and grief is seamless, presented through lyrics such as “Hold me ‘cause I’m new to this / Hold me, hold me, hold me, baby / I’m so new to this”. 

Track 3 – Can’t Feel It

Angst colliding with techno punk – that is about the best way to describe “Can’t Feel It”. Capturing the ups and downs of youth, the track tells the story of Cullen’s secret kiss with a friend, reminiscing on the euphoria of the event, “and the excitement of keeping something hidden from everyone around me, which in the end led to feelings of solitude and alienation,” he tells.

The way techno is combined with punk really contributes to the tension they build throughout the song, with the start of the second verse explaining: “When I was young / I had a friend that I loved / Made me promise / “You better keep your mouth shut” / “Just keep your mouth shut”. 

The outro is where the song reaches its peak, both vocally and instrumentally. The only way to describe it is like attending an underground rave, just letting the music take you over and forgetting the world around you. 

Track 4 – Longer

An electric guitar groans beneath nervous synths, opening the emotionally charged track “Longer”. It’s a five-minute song that displays a vulnerability like Chalk does it best: through an unfiltered (punk) rock lens. Halfway through the song, the track dials back down to the electric guitar and synth. 

The guitar riff creates an anticipatory buildup together with the drums as it starts moving towards the hook. “Just wait a little longer”, Cullen sings as his vocals get more emotional with every repeat. 

Track 5 – One-Nine-Eight-Zero

“One-Nine-Eight-Zero” is a step away from tracks like “Pain” and “Longer”. With a synthesiser and autotuned vocals, it embarks on a journey through the sonic landscape of the ‘80s. The lyrics in the first verse set the stage for the emotional load of the track: “I  sat on top of the stairs and watched my daddy live / Said he carries it forever / Wondering if I’ll do the same.” 

With the title being “One-Nine-Eight-Zero”, one meaning of the song could be the conflict in Northern Ireland during the ‘80s, where singer Cullen desires to go back in time and be there for his father when he was young. It probably ties back into the confusing and shattered identity of the “ceasefire baby” as well (see below).

Track 6 – Eclipse

Eclipse is what the industry calls an interlude, which is a musical break in the album. Although interludes can be instrumental, some feature distorted vocals, as Chalk has done. It connects the first half, where electric guitars are roaring to a second half that takes us to the underground dance clubs. 

Track 7 – Skem

The second half of the album kicks off with a good rave in the form of “Skem”. Yet again, you can draw similarities with the legendary rock band The Prodigy in the instrumentals, which are drum and bass-heavy. “Skem” is completely instrumental apart from a couple of vocals halfway through the songs. 

The song is a complete one-eighty from the first half of the album, and the title of the track most likely refers to a graffiti tag, active along the railway between Dublin and Belfast. 

Track 8 – I.D.C

“I.D.C” continues on a similar note, dipping into the genres dominating the ‘90s through today. The track layers tense techno and electronica over dark punk aesthetics as the band channel betrayal and resolve, becoming evident through lyrics like “You twist the knife / And you know just how it feels / And you know just how it hurts / [...] And you bite the hand that feeds.” 

The song plays like a night out spiralling in real time, exploring themes of self-destruction. “I Don’t Care man, I got love” blasts over shadowy beats like a mantra. 

Track 9 – Béal Feirste

“Béal Feirste” is another dance-heavy track, spanning over eight minutes in length. It accelerates on the back of chiming loops and airy samples. With every beat, an adrenalised chant spirals out. “We’re standing shoulder to shoulder”, Cullen sings. 

The track tackles national identity, growing up in the “ceasefire baby” generation and creating music in the shadow of a civil conflict. “Béal Feirste” pays homage to the sacrifice made to allow a band like Chalk to exist. It demands a better tomorrow amidst national turmoil, and what it means to choose the future anyway. 

Béal Feirste is also the Irish name for the city of Belfast, where the band originates from.

Track 10 – Ache

As the final track on the album, “Ache” closes off with serrated guitar pieces and synths. The breathy vocals that Cullen displays flicker in and out of focus, starting the song with “Good morning, I wake up and kiss your bones.” 

“What’s that little noise? / I hear voices in the middle / Voices in the middle of me” is a lyric that stands out because of the raw, breathy vocals that Cullen can convey throughout the song. It really encapsulates choosing for a future, not choosing a side. 

“Crystalpunk” captures the beauty, confusion, complexity and intensity of growing up in Northern Ireland, telling a story that resonates beyond borders. It’s not just a portrait of the band but one of their home, a complicated place where the sacrifices made, and risks taken by activists, artists, ravers and punks created the only environment that a band like Chalk could emerge from. 

They wave the flag for their generation loudly and proudly, successfully taking us on a journey throughout their youth and under the shadow and around the scars of conflict as they welcome the listeners into the album with open arms. 

Listen to "Crystalpunk" here!

Follow Chalk on Instagram here!