In less than a month, SPEED will release their debut full-length ONLY ONE MODE on Flatspot Records (USA) and Last Ride Records (AUS). The Australian hardcore band has had a busy year so far - playing a sold out North American tour supporting Knocked Loose, currently making their way through Europe before heading back to the US, and dropping two killer singles “REAL LIFE LOVE” and “THE FIRST TEST” (whose videos have racked up a combined 250k views). Today, the band shares third single “DON’T NEED,” an in-your-face anthem about staying true to themselves and hardcore.
The band shares:
“We've been going to hardcore shows and playing in bands for most of our lives now. When you do this long enough I guess you get a pretty good understanding of who you are, what you stand for and why you're involved. Now, somewhat suddenly we have a lot more outsiders finding out about our culture for good or for worse. We don't need you or anyone to tell us how to navigate that. Cus to us, the meaning is the same as it’s always been. We are hardcore kids in a hardcore band from Sydney, Australia.”
The song itself is laced with groove driven riffs, channeling predecessors like Trapped Under Ice, and a vocal delivery that is as infectious as it is aggressive. The video for the song, filmed and directed by Jack Rudder, Thomas Elliott and Speed, captures the high-energy experience of the band’s live show from performance to crowd participation.
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. The band has always done things on their own terms, working with the same collaborators since inception - producer Elliott Gallart and videographer Jack Rudder. 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 crtically acclaimed release, SPEED found themselves touring across the world - North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia - and documenting it all along the way.
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.
Preorder here: https://lastriderecords.com/collections/speed