CQ Wrestling release new album ‘Resistance’
CQ Wrestling | Photo credit: The Buffacow
CQ Wrestling today release their new album Resistance, alongside a video for latest single 'HEALTH+'. The new single follows the album's lead singles 'Pacifico' and 'Finish Line' each of which quickly saw Xposure playlisting on Radio X, and support from the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show, as well as from multiple shows across BBC 6 Music.
Discussing new album Resistance, the band says:
"This album is a collection of songs above all about trying to find joy and hope in dark times. We are so proud of this body of work, and have fought incredibly hard to get it done. Over the past two years writing and recording this album, this band has almost broken up from the madness and impossible nature of being an artist in the modern world, the cost of living has plummeted to new lows, mental health issues are impossible, and more conflicts are starting, pulling more people into crisis. Most significantly for us personally was the devastating loss of Jake’s father Gavin, who was a champion and original manager of this band, all the way back when we first met in school.
Resistance is everywhere and it’s the simple explanation to how this album was made. We are so proud of this, and it’s a huge testament to keep the faith, keep the joy, and keep fighting through bleak times."
Commenting on the new single, they say:
"‘HEALTH+' is a burning plea for some mental balance in the chaotic modern world. More and more people are feeling the burn of modern life and its complexity and disconnect, and the last 2 years making this album has been one big mental battle for us personally. This song was written hard and fast, and is a bit of a dumping ground for that negative energy, and gives a chance to shout it out the system."
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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 f****** 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, new 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.
Buy / stream new album Resistance here.
Share the video for 'HEALTH+' via YouTube below.
CQ Wrestling Live dates 2026
Buy tickets here
April 25 – Beautiful Ones Festival, Concorde 2, Brighton, UK
May 27 – The Crescent, York, UK
May 28 – Boileroom, Guildford, UK
May 29 – Waterfront Studio, Norwich, UK
May 30 – Cavern, Exeter, UK
June 2 – Rough Trade, Bristol, UK
June 5 – Sidney & Matilda, Sheffield, UK
June 6 – Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, UK
June 10 – Cluny 2, Newcastle, UK
June 11 – Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham, UK
June 12 – Polar Bear, Hull, UK
June 13 – Rough Trade, Liverpool, UK
Oct 21 – The Dome, London, UK
Oct 22 – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, UK
Oct 26 – G2, Glasgow, UK
Oct 27 – Yes (Pink Room), Manchester, UK
Oct 29 - Bodega, Nottingham, UK
CQ Wrestling - Resistance album tracklisting
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
