Windwaker unpack identity and online validation on new single DNA ahead of October album
Windwaker have released their new single DNA, the latest preview of third album smile, you’re on camera., due out on 23 October via Fearless Records.
The Australian band’s latest track folds synth textures and hip-hop-influenced verses into a jagged alt-rock framework, with Liam Guinane’s vocals moving between melodic hooks and harsher screams.
DNA addresses self-image, emotional instability and the pressure to perform identity in an online world. The band said: “DNA explores a deeply internal struggle with identity, self-worth, and the feeling of being trapped by one’s own nature.
“The song reflects on emotional instability and the pressure of living up to expectations, while battling impulses, ego, and the fear of never truly changing. There’s a recurring tension between wanting growth and feeling stuck in destructive patterns, as if these flaws are hardwired into their DNA.
“Another key theme here which is explored over the album is authenticity. References to doing it for the likes and people switching sides highlights disillusionment with superficial validation and fake personas, while the protagonist in this song tries to strip away ego and confront their true self.”
A record of pressure, growth and self-scrutiny
smile, you’re on camera. follows 2024’s HYPERVIOLENCE and is described as a collection of personal snapshots rather than a linear narrative. Across its 12 tracks, the record considers growth, sacrifice and the difficulty of holding on to authenticity amid superficiality and bad-faith characters.
The album includes previously released cuts closer, click, do or die and victory lap, alongside collaborations with RinRin and Mikaila Delgado. It is available to pre-order here.
The full track listing
- low
- closer
- click (with RinRin)
- do or die
- dna
- burn
- victory lap
- lie to me
- wait for me
- loser (with Mikaila Delgado)
- overlord
- some days
UK support dates with Bury Tomorrow
Before arriving in the UK, Windwaker will join Beartooth and Don Broco on a lengthy North American run in November and December. They will then support Bury Tomorrow on three British dates in February 2027, alongside Stick To Your Guns and Elwood Stray.
- 11 November 2026 — Boston, MA — MGM Music Hall at Fenway
- 12 November 2026 — New York, NY — Hammerstein Ballroom
- 13 November 2026 — Philadelphia, PA — Franklin Music Hall
- 15 November 2026 — National Harbor, MD — The Theater at MGM National Harbor
- 18 November 2026 — Pittsburgh, PA — Stage AE
- 20 November 2026 — Chicago, IL — Aragon Ballroom
- 21 November 2026 — St. Paul, MN — Myth
- 22 November 2026 — Omaha, NE — Steelhouse Omaha
- 28 November 2026 — Nashville, TN — The Truth
- 29 November 2026 — Atlanta, GA — Coca-Cola Roxy
- 1 December 2026 — Charlotte, NC — The Fillmore
- 2 December 2026 — Charleston, SC — The Refinery
- 4 December 2026 — St. Augustine, FL — St. Augustine Amphitheatre
- 5 December 2026 — Fort Lauderdale, FL — War Memorial Auditorium
- 7 December 2026 — New Orleans, LA — The Fillmore
- 9 December 2026 — Austin, TX — ACL Live — Moody Theater
- 10 December 2026 — Dallas, TX — South Side Ballroom
- 12 December 2026 — Denver, CO — The Fillmore
- 13 December 2026 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Union
- 15 December 2026 — Albuquerque, NM — Revel Entertainment Center
- 16 December 2026 — Phoenix, AZ — Arizona Financial Theatre
- 18 December 2026 — Los Angeles, CA — Hollywood Palladium
- 19 December 2026 — Wheatland, CA — Hard Rock Live
- 18 February 2027 — Glasgow — SWG3 Galvanisers
- 19 February 2027 — Nottingham — Rock City
- 20 February 2027 — London — O2 Academy Brixton
