CQ Wrestling – New single ‘Finish Line’ (21st April)
CQ Wrestling share new single ‘Finish Line’
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New album Resistance out 22nd May on Truth Records
UK headline tour dates on sale now
CQ Wrestling | Photo credit: The Buffacow | Download hi-res portrait and landscape images here
CQ Wrestling are today sharing new single ‘Finish Line’, the second new track to be taken from their forthcoming sophomore album Resistance, out 22nd May. ‘Finish Line’ is the follow up to March’s lead single ‘Pacifico’, 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.
Where ‘Pacifico’ charged ahead with direct, heavyweight riffing, new single ‘Finish Line’ rewards patience with its swelling and emotive guitar atmospherics.
The band comments on the new single:
“‘Finish Line’ is a song about living fully and not being afraid. It draws on philosophy, loss, and resilience. There’s a steadiness in old ideas: live well, seek joy, and don’t fear what you can’t control. 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.”
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.
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.”
Pre-order new album Resistance HERE.
Hear ‘Finish Line’ on streaming services here and share 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 artwork