Adelaide-born, Sydney and Melbourne-based collective Ukulele Death Squad have released ‘Cooee’, the lead single from their forthcoming fourth EP Essentially My Life Is A Disaster, due May 15. The track introduces a more reflective dimension to the group’s evolving sound while maintaining the layered instrumentation that has defined their work to date.
Written after a hike through Morialta National Park on Kaurna Country, ‘Cooee’ draws on the act of calling out across distance. For vocalist and co-writer Alice Barker, the moment became a way to explore modern contradictions. “It explores the push and pull of wanting to be alone whilst also not feeling alone,” she explains, framing the track around isolation, overstimulation and the search for connection.
Musically, the single blends folk structures with soul-inflected arrangements, anchored by ukulele, brass and vocal interplay. The composition moves between restraint and release, reflecting the band’s collaborative approach and expanding stylistic range.
The release marks the next step for Ukulele Death Squad, who have accumulated more than 500,000 streams and received four SA Music People’s Choice Awards. Since forming in Adelaide and performing at Adelaide Fringe, the group has steadily broadened their reach, appearing at festivals across Australia and Europe while building a reputation for immersive live performances.
Recorded and mixed at Rolling Stock Studios throughout 2025, Essentially My Life Is A Disaster continues that progression, bringing together new material shaped by the band’s eight-member lineup. The EP moves between folk, blues and brass-driven arrangements, reflecting the collective’s interest in fluid, genre-crossing composition.
Recorded and mixed at Rolling Stock Studios throughout 2025, Essentially My Life Is A Disaster continues that progression, bringing together new material shaped by the band’s eight-member lineup. The EP moves between folk, blues and brass-driven arrangements, reflecting the collective’s interest in fluid, genre-crossing composition.
Ukulele Death Squad will support the release with a major 2026 tour spanning Australia, Germany and the UK, including shows in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. With ‘Cooee’, the group offers a preview of a release concerned with distance, belonging and the shifting emotional terrain of contemporary life.
Stream Cooee HERE.
Go HERE for ticketing information.
