Brighton-born duo CQ Wrestling (formerly Chappaqua Wrestling) have officially returned, announcing their second studio album, Resistance, for release on May 22nd. The news comes alongside the release of their lead single, ‘Pacifico,’ a track that serves as a definitive turning point for best friends Jake Mac and Charlie Woods. After the critical success of their debut Plus Ultra, the pair faced a “year of complete mayhem” in 2024, marked by the sudden loss of Mac’s father and the subsequent decision to leave their major label deal. This period of grief and introspection has reshaped the band into an independent powerhouse, with ‘Pacifico’ acting as a “line in the sand” that prioritises creative freedom over industry expectations.
The band say of the new single,
“As a band, we’ve been through every obstacle going; grief, covid destroying releases and tours, the stop button being forced on, probably everything you could imagine to see a band collapse. But we’ll never stop. Pacifico is the song that epitomises this journey we’ve been on and what it means to us to have music and friendship as our own act of Resistance. It’s our song to find a path to change.”
The band is currently in the midst of a massive global push, heading to SXSW in Austin this week for a series of high-energy showcases before returning home for a full UK headline tour. Recorded against a backdrop of personal tragedy, Resistance is described by the duo as an album forged in resilience, a sonic act of defiance against the obstacles that nearly saw the band collapse. With tickets for their May and June dates already on sale, including stops in London, Bristol, and Edinburgh, CQ Wrestling are reclaiming their place at the forefront of the British scene with a renewed, independent vitality.
