There’s a saying that simmers beneath the sonic assault of 'Resistance', the new album from CQ Wrestling. “Nothing changes if nothing changes,” recites Jake Mac, who knew of this idiom before 2024; before the loss that turned his and bandmate Charlie Woods’ worlds upside down; before the “year of complete mayhem, mess and chaos” that followed. From the outside looking in, the Brighton-based duo may have seemed on the top of the world. Then known as Chappaqua Wrestling, the exhilarating energy of their debut album 'Plus Ultra' had seen the band lauded as future British music scene conquerors. The pair had a major label record deal to their name. Sweat dripped from the walls at headline show after headline show, in front of rapturous fans – and yet something felt amiss.

“We were selling out tours and people were loving the music, but honestly, we just felt fucking lost,” says Woods. Then tragedy struck. “It completely derailed us,” says Mac, recalling how the sudden death of his father – “a big part of the project” since its inception – sank them both into a period of grief and introspection. Amid the mourning emerged a desire to transform.

'Resistance' is an album forged in the embers of personal tragedy and hammered into shape by desire, resilience and resolve. Detailing a metamorphosis, single ‘Pacifico’ draws a line in the sand for the band as they recover from a time of tremendous upheaval to find themselves following their own creative compass, with renewed vitality.

TRACK LISTING

1. Pacifico
2. Innocence
3. Smoke Screen
4. Shine Not Burn (Under The Sun)
5. HEALTH+
6. Finish Line
7. Catherine Wheels
8. Forgive & Regret
9. All Change
10. Guns In Their Hands
11. Soft Top