Interview DIY Class of 2026: Chalk

From the world of their ‘Conditions’ EP trilogy to their imminent debut album, the Belfast duo have carved out their own sonic lane of electronic-meets-industrial punk. Now, they’re determined to push it as far as they can.

Words: Rishi Shah
Photos: Glenn Norwood
15th January 2026

“We’ve been in New York for three days, and I have had pizza every single day…” realises Ben Goddard, half-regretfully, and half-excited to make it four on the spin. And why shouldn’t he? In that respect, The Big Apple is probably only second to Italy. “The pizza is amazing here, and maybe I’m not gonna get that for another six months.”

Ben (guitars/synths) and his Chalk bandmate Ross Cullen (vocals) have just concluded their first North American headline tour, with some attendees having patiently waited for over three years for the pleasure. During that time, the Belfast duo - a trio prior to the recent departure of drummer Luke Niblock - released their ‘Conditions’ trilogy, spaced out as one EP each year.

While they introduced themselves with atmospheric, industrial-tinged post-punk, they’d later find themselves nosediving into an electronic world that now forms a core part of their framework. Alongside the chance to release via Nice Swan and ALTER Music, this melting pot helped earn them a monumental hometown support slot with Fontaines DC at Belfast’s 40,000-capacity Boucher Road Playing Fields in August.

Exemplified by these recent Stateside shows, Chalk have ticked off plenty of ‘firsts’ in 2025. Such excitement also comes with unfamiliarity, especially in the live setting, where Chalk’s brute force and intensity leaves no room for gradual acclimatisation or stage fright. If anything, the music demands that they “go into another world,” says Ross.

“You need to try and find a little space for yourself [to be present], there and then, throughout the day,” he muses. “Being in solitude for a couple of minutes, whether it’s in the green room or at the catering tent. The only problem with the catering tent is I feel like I’m at a fucking Royal Wedding!”

Considered and increasingly descriptive, both men behind Chalk’s visually enigmatic, monochrome world are fascinating people to spend time with. Outside of the band, they are attracted by the simplicity of buying a loaf of bread from the bakery, cooking proper meals - “with vegetables,” clarifies Ben - and scratching their itch for the outdoors. It’s unsurprising to hear this project started as a hobby, before they realised how much energy they were willing to give it.

“Let’s give this a shot, let’s be 110 per cent in this,” recalls Ross. “That’s a belief that we share, that we want to take it as far as we can. With that comes honesty with each other, and hard work. Everything that’s been thrown at us so far, I feel like we’ve combatted and embraced.”

Belfast band Chalk on their 'Conditions' EPs and upcoming debut album for DIY's Class of 2026

“Everything that’s been thrown at us so far, I feel like we’ve combatted and embraced.”

— Ross Cullen

Zip back to the present day, and Chalk are readying their debut album. “I’m trying to [figure out] whether it’s a comma, full stop or a dash,” Ross ponders, on what it’s like to actively create a sense of closure still relatively early on. “We wanted to not even do something on the same page, but take a new page, with the upcoming music. We wanted to challenge ourselves, take risks, and step out of the comfort zone a little bit more. Our producer, Chris Ryan, was a good captain of the ship.”

“Chapters are a good analogy, because if it’s the book of your life, you can flick back in a book if you want to reminisce or pull something together,” considers Ben. “Things have moved quite fast. When we were doing the ‘Conditions’ tour, we were already thinking about the album, so I remember us very much forcing ourselves to stay in that ‘Conditions’ world for a little bit longer, because it’s done when this tour is done. But you’re always thinking ahead, and you don’t want to stay stagnant.”

In that regard, the buzz that has simmered alongside Chalk has allowed their impact to remain ever-present. Not everything has come easily, but the band have been able to act impulsively for the most part, even if that instinct now comes with the added task of crafting their longest, most ambitious body of work to date.

“We’ve built a great trust between myself, Ben, and our producer,” explains Ross, who met Ben at film school. “The most important thing was to try and create a very safe space for each other,” continues Ben. “Trying new things, you’re going to feel stupid and you can feel insecure about putting yourself out there… Maybe there’s a safety in knowing we’re always really proud of the work we can do when we push through. When you feel lost, you can count on another person [to say] ‘if we sit with this another couple of hours, we’re going to have that eureka moment.’”

With details still very much under wraps at the time of writing, the first two tracks - ‘Pain’ and ‘Can’t Feel It’ - to come from Chalk’s eventual debut full-length are already out in the open. The former is gritty and IDLES-esque, exploring a character who realises they are not impenetrable, while the latter counteracts its title with a descent into trippy escapist mayhem, accompanied by a batshit music video set in a medieval rave.

Thematic inspiration for the record, meanwhile, comes from blues and Irish folk, with songs “rooted in pain” juxtaposed with surprising sounds and visuals. “It’s okay to feel pain, it’s okay to not feel it, because that is the human condition,” Ben reminds us. “It’s a very beautiful thing to be able to actually express that.”

Recorded across two stints at Attica Studios in Donegal, Chalk allowed themselves to “succumb to the process” to let loose threads become fully-fledged ideas. Alongside a surface-level intensity, are arguably some of their catchiest tunes to date.

“There’s something really addictive I found letting [the song] be the song that it was supposed to be, rather than tearing it apart,” says Ross. “We’re all about making catchy stuff, but at the same time, trying to keep some sort of weirdness to it, I hope.”

‘Pain’ and ‘Can’t Feel It’ are out now via ALTER Music.

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