Speed's Second Release Off EP: AIN'T MY GAME

“AIN'T MY GAME” is exactly the kind of track that reminds you why Australian hardcore is on at full throttle right now, and why Speed is leading the game. From the jump, the song wastes no time, those opening riffs immediately set the tone like a loading screen countdown before you get thrown straight into the pit. It’s heavy, it’s deep, it slows down just enough to let you feel the pressure of intensity, and then it spin-kicks you in the gut when it sets off. The lyrics have this raw spaciousness, shouted with such insane enthusiasm that it feels like every word is meant to echo through coiled fists and sweat-soaked pits.

Speed checks every box here. Breakdowns? Absolutely. Anger? They clock in hard. Fist-swinging moments? F yeah, you’ll find plenty, so much you’ll feel like this 3-minute piece lasts a lifetime. And the way the track builds, all I can say is it’s deliberate, masterclass in the formula, like the band is literally daring you to brace for what’s about to go down. Then the chorus hits like an all-in beatdown, pure punishment in sound form. What’s wild about Speed is that even though every song feels like a setup for something brutal, they manage to throw in these little twists, tiny shifts that make each one hit different in their own way. “AIN’T MY GAME” keeps it short, effective, and violently straightforward. No filler, no fluffy stuff. Just pure anger and hardcore.

The visualizer puts the whole thing into perspective, flashing the lyrics across the bottom of the screen while giving you a glimpse of what this track stirs up: rage, energy, release. It’s one of the two singles off their upcoming EP ALL MY ANGELS, which drops October 22nd. This record carries a heavy weight: it reflects the band’s reckoning with the loss of three close friends in recent years. Instead of folding into the grief, Speed is channeling it into something bigger: “...an urge to love unconditionally, without fear or regret”. Produced, mixed, and recorded by Elliott Gallart, ALL MY ANGELS is available now for preorder through Last Ride Records in AUS/NZ and Flatspot Records worldwide.

Alongside “AIN’T MY GAME,” the band also put out “PEACE,” which leans more into a seriously groovy vibe compared to the boxing match brutality of this new single. Both tracks show how Speed plays with energy, but they also know when to pull back, when to get groovy, and when to hit you in the face with jaw breaking aggression. That balance is why I’m waiting for that third release.

The band—Jem Siow on vocals, Aaron Siow on bass, Josh Clayton and Dennis Vichidvongsa on guitars, and Kane Vardon on drums—are in the middle of a massive run right now. They’re currently tearing across the U.S. with Turnstile, Amyl & The Sniffers, Mannequin Pussy, and Jane Remover, before flying to Europe for eleven dates supporting Malevolence with Dying Wish and Psycho-Frame. BUT FIRST, Aftershock Festival. Then to top it off, they’ll be back home in Australia for Rolling Sets this December. And to celebrate the release of ALL MY ANGELS, they’re throwing an EP release show at Brooklyn’s roller rink Xanadu with End It and MSPAINT, a setting that feels like it’s going to be absolute madness.

If “PEACE” was the groove and flow, “AIN’T MY GAME” is the fight bell ringing. It’s short, punishing, and leaves no space to catch your breath. Speed is making hardcore that’s both deeply personal and explosively communal, and this new era is about to hit even harder, LFG.