Already emerging as a leader from the growing Australian hardcore scene, Sydney’s relatively new group, SPEED have announced their signing to Flatspot Records with the release of their upcoming EP, 2020 Flex, due out June 19th in partnership with Last Ride Records. To celebrate the international occasion, the band has shared the pummeling lead single, “A Dumb Dog Gets Flogged” via a premiere with BrooklynVegan.
Using the metaphor of a “dumb dog” the band warns of dangers of idle speech, stressing the importance of practicing what one preaches through thundering to-the-point hardcore. These messages are deeply ingrained in the SPEED’s pursuit of progress and rejection of complacency. “A Dumb Dog Gets Flogged” is available to stream on Bandcamp or Spotify and pre-orders for 2020 Flex are available from Flatspot Records here on blue flexi vinyl and from Last Ride Records in Australia here on red flexi vinyl. SPEED, Flatspot Records, and Last Ride Records have also announced their plans to donate all webstore profits from the release with 50% going to The Bail Project in the US and 50% going to Sisters Inside in Australia.
Speaking on the occasion vocalist Jem Siow says:
“This song was born in reaction to the failed leadership of our government during the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires. Empathy and compassion should always be the premise for meaningful action. We’re super humbled to have Flatspot Records (US) team up with Last Ride (AU) on this release to help open our Australian doors to the world.”
𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 2019, 𝑆𝑦𝑑𝑛𝑒𝑦’𝑠 𝑆𝑃𝐸𝐸𝐷 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑜𝑡ℎ 𝐴𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟-𝑐𝑢𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛: 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑒 𝑏𝑦 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑠, 𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠.
The majority of SPEED’s members are of Southeast Asian descent; drawing strength from its members diverse cultural perspectives, SPEED makes it a point to stand up not only against racism and xenophobia but also the toxic masculinity and gender prejudices that have crept their way into hardcore. Working closely with local streetwear brands and musical crews across genres as well as their own Forge Ahead Podcast that highlights members of their community, SPEED embodies the messages of inclusivity and cultural unity that are as foundational to hardcore as the music ever was.
Returning with the follow-up to their 2019 debut demo on Last Ride Records, SPEED presents two new tracks of grooving and grinding hardcore, set to be released on flexi vinyl through Last Ride Records in Australia and Flatspot Records everywhere else. In spite of their recent arrival onto the scene, SPEED has already shared the stage with a diverse list of bands, ranging from hardcore giants Terror to local hip-hop acts like Posseshot and Haz. As the world seems to grind to a halt and individuals become more isolated than ever before, SPEED rejects the alienation and chooses to march confidently into our new future with a message of unity, solidarity, and progress for all who fight for it.
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