Some albums arrive with a backstory. Resistance, the sophomore record from Brighton duo CQ Wrestling, arrives with something heavier than that — a period of personal loss, creative crisis and near-total collapse that would have ended most bands. The fact that it exists at all is the first remarkable thing about it. The second is how good it is.
New single Finish Line, out today, is the clearest window yet into what Resistance is about. Where lead single Pacifico — which earned Xposure playlisting on Radio X and support from the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show and BBC 6 Music — charged forward with direct, heavyweight riffing, Finish Line rewards patience. Swelling, emotive guitar atmospherics build slowly into something that feels genuinely cathartic, a song about living fully and not being afraid, drawing on philosophy, loss and resilience in equal measure.
“There’s a steadiness in old ideas: live well, seek joy, and don’t fear what you can’t control,” the band says. “After losing Jake’s father, someone very close to this band, we’ve been working hard to stay true to why we do this. We hope this song is a celebration of life and those we’ve lost.”
The loss of Jake Mac’s father Gavin — an original champion and manager of the band since they first met at school — sits at the heart of everything Resistance became. Before that, from the outside, CQ Wrestling had seemed unstoppable. Then known as Chappaqua Wrestling, their debut album Plus Ultra had earned them a major label deal and rapturous headline shows. But something wasn’t right. “We were selling out tours and people were loving the music, but honestly, we just felt f****** lost,” says Charlie Woods. Then tragedy struck, and everything stopped.
What followed was, by their own account, a year of complete mayhem, mess and chaos — grief and introspection colliding with the impossible pressures of being an artist in the modern world. Mental health, the cost of living, global uncertainty. “This band has almost broken up from the madness,” they say. “Resistance is everywhere and it’s the simple explanation to how this album was made. Keep the faith, keep the joy, and keep fighting through bleak times.”
That the album exists as a finished, cohesive body of work — one the band describe as their proudest achievement — is a testament to exactly the resilience its title promises. Resistance is out 22nd May on Truth Records. They’re also heading out on a UK headline tour — full dates in our tour piece.
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