Chalk’s “Tell Me” is pure, combustible kerosene manifest in sound: An all-consuming, unapologetically intense post-punk fever dream taken off the Belfast trio’s trilogy-ending third EP, ‘Conditions III.’
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Stream: “Tell Me” – Chalk
Some music stirs us, some music soothes us, and some music sets our very souls on fire.
Chalk’s latest single is pure, combustible kerosene manifest in sound: An all-consuming, unapologetically intense post-punk fever dream, “Tell Me” drenches the mind, body, and spirit in heavy, sweaty beats and thick, pulsing bass grooves. This isn’t background music; the Belfast trio demand our undivided attention as they channel visceral angst, raw urgency, and pure inner turmoil into an undeniable, unstoppable sonically and emotionally charged eruption.
“‘Tell Me’ is about running from a dark past,” Chalk frontman Ross Cullen tells Atwood Magazine. “We had the bass loop for track sitting for about a year before we did something with it. I love Paranoid London, and that loop sounded like something they’d come up with. It wasn’t until we went to Iceland to record our EP that it finally became a full song. It felt like a natural blend of sounds from our first two EPs, which excited us.”
Blood, stained my whites
Fire, hold me tight
I was walking by the bridge
She said look here’s the thing
You wanna take me for a ride
I said baby look inside
Tell me, tell me now
Tell me now, tell me
Released October 8th via Nice Swan Recordings, “Tell Me” Chalk’s first song since they put out their sophomore EP Conditions II this past March, and the lead single off their upcoming trilogy-ending third EP, Conditions III (coming February 21st, 2025).
“For this track, we conjured up a world in which the song’s protagonist is running away from a dark past into unknown territory, encountering an unsuspecting new acquaintance on their journey,” Cullen explains further. “It’s a song that dives headfirst into themes of the unknown, breaking norms, and a feeling of running away and never wanting to return again. It explores the idea that life is moving rapidly around us and the lack of belonging, confusion, and disassociation one experiences on their journey, growing older in an increasingly discouraging and bleak urban landscape. These are themes of which we’ve scratched the surface with Conditions and Conditions II; but we want to delve even deeper into their grittier sides as we continue to figure ourselves out along the way.”
Born between borders
I was running between borders
Because I wanna go for a ride
‘Cause I need to look inside
I can’t tell if you’re looking
for a normal guy
“Tell Me” takes no prisoners, throwing us headfirst into the dark world of Conditions III as Chalk concoct an irresistible electro-post-punk storm.
This song will get the heart racing and the blood pumping – lighting a fire within that burns like nothing we’ve heard this year.
Tell me what you want
Tell me what you need
Tell me what you want…
Tell me now
Just tell me now
Tell me now
Tell me now
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Stream: “Tell Me” – Chalk
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© Aaron Cunningham
© Aaron Cunningham
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