Windwaker set third album Smile, You’re On Camera for October release
Windwaker have announced their third album, Smile, You’re On Camera, due for release on 23 October 2026 through Fearless Records.
The Australian band have marked the announcement with Closer, a taut new single that shifts between glitching, electronically shaded verses, huge choruses and weighty breakdowns. The track was co-written with Dan Braunstein, who also provided additional production.
A song about doubt and persistence
According to the band, Closer addresses the internal conflict of continuing to pursue music when rejection and self-doubt begin to bite.
“Closer is an allegory for the struggles of being in a band dealing with rejection, self-doubt, and the resilience in spite of that to keep going with something you’ve given everything to,” Windwaker say. “It’s a message for all to keep trying and strive further toward their goals. This song is the first on the album to highlight a point in life where you have to make the heavy decision to either jump ship and pivot toward a ‘normal life’ or to keep sacrificing in favour of something you’ve invested so much into.”
Smile, You’re On Camera is described as a collection of personal snapshots rather than a linear narrative, exploring time, personal change, sacrifice and the pressure of being seen. The record is set to take a more guitar-led, gritty and analogue-focused approach than its predecessor HYPERVIOLENCE, while retaining the band’s collision of alt-metal, pop, punk, electronic music and hip-hop elements.
The 12-track album includes the previously released Victory Lap, as well as collaborations with RinRin on Click and Mikaila Delgado on Loser.
The full track list
- 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
Pre-order Smile, You’re On Camera here.
US dates with Beartooth and DON BROCO
Windwaker will support Beartooth and DON BROCO across the US this autumn, beginning in Boston on 11 November and closing at Hard Rock Live in Wheatland, California, on 19 December.
- 11 November — Boston, MA — MGM Music Hall at Fenway
- 12 November — New York, NY — Hammerstein Ballroom
- 13 November — Philadelphia, PA — Franklin Music Hall
- 15 November — National Harbor, MD — The Theater at MGM National Harbor
- 18 November — Pittsburgh, PA — Stage AE
- 20 November — Chicago, IL — Aragon Ballroom
- 21 November — St. Paul, MN — Myth
- 22 November — Omaha, NE — Steelhouse Omaha
- 28 November — Nashville, TN — The Truth
- 29 November — Atlanta, GA — Coca-Cola Roxy
- 1 December — Charlotte, NC — The Fillmore
- 2 December — Charleston, SC — The Refinery
- 4 December — St. Augustine, FL — St. Augustine Amphitheatre
- 5 December — Fort Lauderdale, FL — War Memorial Auditorium
- 7 December — New Orleans, LA — The Fillmore
- 9 December — Austin, TX — ACL Live at Moody Theater
- 10 December — Dallas, TX — South Side Ballroom
- 12 December — Denver, CO — The Fillmore
- 13 December — Salt Lake City, UT — The Union
- 15 December — Albuquerque, NM — Revel Entertainment Center
- 16 December — Phoenix, AZ — Arizona Financial Theatre
- 18 December — Los Angeles, CA — Hollywood Palladium
- 19 December — Wheatland, CA — Hard Rock Live
