PHOTO CREDIT: Ophelia Symons – Windwaker
The Australian genre-blending band previews its third album, smile, you’re on camera., ahead of an extensive U.S. run with Beartooth and DON BROCO.
Australian metal outfit Windwaker are continuing the rollout of their third studio album, smile, you’re on camera., with the video for “do or die,” a genre-crossing track that examines political division, tribalism and the forces the band believes benefit from keeping people at odds.
The album is scheduled for release October 23 through Fearless Records and follows Windwaker’s 2024 record HYPERVIOLENCE. The band’s current lineup features vocalist Liam Guinane, guitarist Justin Keurntjes, bassist Indey Salvestro, drummer Chris Lalic and synths/samples specialist Connor Robins.
Musically, “do or die” reflects Windwaker’s tendency to move between styles rather than remain within a single metal framework. The track combines heavy guitar grooves and screamed vocals with hip-hop-influenced rhythms and falsetto passages, using those shifts as the foundation for lyrics addressing conflict and social division.
According to the band, the song challenges the idea of contemporary conflicts being reduced to opposing cultural identities. Instead, Windwaker frames “do or die” around the argument that people have become increasingly divided while losing sight of broader struggles involving leadership and class.
“Everywhere we look there is conflict, we are surrounded by it and have never been so divided as a humanity,” the band said. “Wars between countries, toxic online discourse over ideology, countries divided over political policy from within, what we think is right and wrong has become a tribe identity and we are at war with one another. Leaders will call it a ‘culture war’ when in reality it’s a way of keeping us distracted from class war that has been happening for decades. ‘do or die’ points out the division we’re currently facing and urges the people to embrace the tribe mentality but to unify over the common enemy of leaders who don’t serve our best interests.”
That subject matter fits within the broader themes Windwaker has outlined for smile, you’re on camera. Rather than following a single storyline, the 12-track record is structured around individual reflections on time, personal growth, sacrifice and the pursuit of authenticity.
The album also examines the pressures associated with being observed and judged while navigating people and circumstances that may not always be what they appear. Taken together, its songs are intended to capture different emotional points from the period in which the record was created rather than form a chronological narrative.
smile, you’re on camera. represents the next stage of a musical evolution that has already taken Windwaker across increasingly varied territory. The band released Love Language in 2022 before following it with HYPERVIOLENCE two years later, a record that expanded its mix of metalcore, electronic elements, melodic hooks and rhythmic experimentation.
The HYPERVIOLENCE track “SIRENS” has accumulated more than nine million Spotify streams, according to the band’s press materials. Windwaker has also shared stages with artists including Motionless In White, I Prevail, Beartooth and Caskets.
That touring history will continue following the release of smile, you’re on camera. when Windwaker heads to the United States for a November and December run alongside Beartooth and DON BROCO.
The tour is scheduled to begin November 11 at MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston and includes stops in New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, Nashville, Atlanta, Denver, Los Angeles and several other markets before concluding December 19 in Wheatland, California.
Three performances — Buffalo on November 16, Grand Rapids on November 24 and Indianapolis on November 25 — along with the November 27 St. Louis date are listed as DON BROCO and Windwaker appearances without Beartooth.
With smile, you’re on camera. arriving before the tour begins, the run will give Windwaker an immediate opportunity to bring material from its third album into the live setting as the band continues building its presence in the U.S.
Album Information
Windwaker — smile, you’re on camera.
Release Date: October 23, 2026
Label: Fearless Records
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”
Tour Dates
Windwaker with Beartooth + DON BROCO
11/11 — Boston, MA — MGM Music Hall at Fenway
11/12 — New York, NY — Hammerstein Ballroom
11/13 — Philadelphia, PA — Franklin Music Hall
11/15 — National Harbor, MD — The Theater at MGM National Harbor
11/16 — Buffalo, NY — Electric City*
11/18 — Pittsburgh, PA — Stage AE
11/20 — Chicago, IL — Aragon Ballroom
11/21 — St. Paul, MN — Myth
11/22 — Omaha, NE — Steelhouse Omaha
11/24 — Grand Rapids, MI — Elevation*
11/25 — Indianapolis, IN — Hi-Fi Indy*
11/27 — St. Louis, MO — Delmar Hall*
11/28 — Nashville, TN — The Truth
11/29 — Atlanta, GA — Coca-Cola Roxy
12/1 — Charlotte, NC — The Fillmore
12/2 — Charleston, SC — The Refinery
12/4 — St. Augustine, FL — St. Augustine Amphitheatre
12/5 — Fort Lauderdale, FL — War Memorial Auditorium
12/7 — New Orleans, LA — The Fillmore
12/9 — Austin, TX — ACL Live — Moody Theater
12/10 — Dallas, TX — South Side Ballroom
12/12 — Denver, CO — The Fillmore
12/13 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Union
12/15 — Albuquerque, NM — Revel Entertainment Center
12/16 — Phoenix, AZ — Arizona Financial Theatre
12/18 — Los Angeles, CA — Hollywood Palladium
12/19 — Wheatland, CA — Hard Rock Live
*DON BROCO + Windwaker only.
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