Umlaut Releases New Single “Happy Now” And Announces New Album Desolé For July 2025 Release

Melbourne-based experimental band Umlaut have released a new single titled “Happy Now” and announced a third full-length album titled Desolé. Desolé will be released on July 25 and will be the first Umlaut album with the new band lineup. Desolé sees the welcoming of long-time friend of the band and drummer of Mr. Bungle, Danny Heifetz. This new lineup includes a reunion of two Mr. Bungle members, Heifetz and Clinton ‘Bar’ McKinnon. The experimental rock band also includes Angus Leslie and Shane Lieber. 

The new single, “Happy Now” is a funky, punchy track that keeps listeners entertained with its richly layered combination of instruments and striking vocals. It also contains the band’s signature humor and controlled chaos. Regarding the decision to invite Heifetz to the band, McKinnon stated, “Danny is a unique creature and one of the best drummers I could ever hope to have on my music. He and I have both lived in Australia for probably too long but it was finally time to include him in the process. Danny will personalize his approach to the song and by the end of the process his intuition about how to approach each song is always a delightful revelation.” In terms of the band’s decision to downsize their membership to just the four of them, bassist Shane Lieber explained it was the “nightmare of trying to accommodate so many musicians’ schedules and varying levels of enthusiasm [which] led us to scale the band back to a 4-piece.” He continued that, “Bar had amassed a large selection of vocal pop/rock tunes that suited our new four-piece ‘more keyboards on-stage than humans’ line-up.” 

Similar to Mr. Bungle, Umlaut continues to change its sound and try out new genres, including pop and rock. The band strives to consistently surprise audiences and this time, they hope to “bombard [their] sleepy audiences” with high energy songs that border on pop so as to expand their reach. Desolé will be available on CD and vinyl and can be pre-ordered on Overdrive or Bandcamp. The album’s tracklist can be found below. 

Desolé Tracklist:

1. “The Tarnished Legacy”
2. “Happy Now”
3. “Cold Sore” (originally written for ‘Disco Volante’)
4. “Bite Your Tongue” (The Cupboard Song)
5. “Every Time”
6. “Grumpy Libarary”
7. “Vinnie”
8. “Bumblebee Shoes”
9. “STFU”
10. “My Government is Never Wrong”