Wendy’s. A forest in West Virginia. A van en route to Chicago. That’s where we find Jem from SPEED, eating fast food and somehow still managing to sound like a hardcore therapist mid-tour.
Formed in 2019 in Sydney, SPEED aren’t just in hardcore. They’re reshaping what it means to be a hardcore band in 2025. From DIY shows to Coachella, from basement gigs to ARIA awards, they’ve built a platform rooted in sweat, sincerity and stubborn optimism. And yet, as their new EP “All My Angels” makes painfully clear, the journey hasn’t been without loss.
“This music we create now belongs to so many tens and thousands more people than we ever expected it to,” Jem reflects. “We seriously wanna do right with that as best as we humanly can.” The EP was born from the heartbreak of losing three close friends – Aje, Tahmid and Alex Arthur – and instead of collapsing inward, the band have turned that grief into something communal, something lived-in and unflinchingly raw. “These songs are about honouring our brothers who’ve left a hole in our hearts and our friends and family back home.”
“Just feeling something at all is a win”
But if you’re expecting a wallow, you’ve missed the point entirely. ‘All My Angels’ isn’t so much about grief, Jem explains, but the clarity that follows. “Maybe it’s an age thing, now being in my thirties. I’ve been having so many thoughts about meaning and purpose… acceptance, presence, compassion, loyalty. All the shit we learnt through hardcore as kids, but now actually living it. We are devastated, but it’s also been so life-affirming. Everything we ever believed in feels true.”
That authenticity extends sonically, too. Where their debut album ‘Only One Mode’ charged out the gate with classic NYHC precision, this EP lets things breathe a bit more – deeper grooves, weirder textures, unexpected hooks. “This is the first batch of songs we’ve written with complete creative freedom,” Jem says. “We’re trying to uncover more of our own voice now.”
So what do they want listeners to take from it? “I don’t really care about the nuance,” Jem shrugs. “Just feeling something at all is a win.”
That ethos – human, unvarnished, direct – has always been core to what SPEED do. From their earliest days, they’ve been shouting loud and proud about hardcore as a space for love, friendship and connection. It’s not nostalgia; it’s mission-critical. “Life is extremely fleeting,” Jem says. “And this is what we truly feel in our hearts. That’s what I’m gonna spend my time pursuing.”
“We understood each other largely because of hardcore”
There’s no shortage of influences either. Hardcore purists and left-field thinkers alike – Have Heart, Whispers, Basement, Break Even – all get a nod. But at this stage in their career, SPEED aren’t just taking inspiration from the scene; they’re actively shaping it.
That’s especially clear on tour. The band are currently out in the US with Turnstile before heading to the UK for their biggest shows to date. “This is a whole new territory unlocked for a hardcore band,” Jem grins. “From massive stages to chatting with a gas station clerk in the middle of nowhere: I’m here for it.”
Still, even as their audience grows and their profile skyrockets, SPEED aren’t getting lost in the sauce. If anything, the bigger the stage, the more surreal it all feels. “So much of this band feels like taking the piss,” Jem laughs. “I honestly have ‘how the fuck did we get here?’ thoughts every second day. But probably winning the ARIA. That was a moment. Not because we ever gave a fuck, but to share that with our mate Elliott Gallart, who’s recorded everything we’ve ever done; that was dope.”
Elliott, Jem says, was the first friend he made in high school. “To have that validated on the biggest stage in Australian music – that’s the shit our parents, our parents’ mates, they understand. That makes them proud. And that’s worth so much.”
“This is a whole new territory unlocked for a hardcore band”
When asked what success looks like now, Jem doesn’t hesitate. “Validation from our loved ones, those who truly know the real you. I’ve met so many ‘successful’ bands who don’t even have friends. They play in bands with people they hate. They gauge their worth off numbers and data. They’ve got a million followers and can’t confide in a single one of ’em.”
As for the future of hardcore? Jem reckons it’s only going to get bigger, but hopes the new wave of fans dig deeper than just the moshpit. “For every five kids that come to their first show, I hope at least one of them gets that bug. Goes down the rabbit hole. Obsessively cares about their local scene. That’s where this thing lives or dies.”
It’s a conviction SPEED don’t just talk about, they practise it. Whether it’s spotlighting new bands, sharing stages with younger acts, or just making space for kids to feel welcome, that outreach is deliberate. “Recognise the kids doing it with the right intentions and invest in that,” Jem says. “So many people are inhibited because they never got the opportunity. There’d be so many mad records and moshers that never saw the light of day because no one gave them permission to feel like they had it in them.”
He pauses. “Also, I see so many sad cunts pissing on each other nowadays. Which I just find extremely lame.”
SPEED are exactly who they say they are: no filter, no bullshit and no interest in playing by the rules. Hardcore might be evolving, but with bands like SPEED at the wheel, it’s never felt more alive.
SPEED’s new EP ‘All My Angels’ is out 23rd October.
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