UMLAUT (ex - Mr. Bungle) ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM DESOLË, OUT JULY 25 VIA OVERDRIVE RECORDS.

Bär McKinnon's Melbourne-based experimental collective Umlaut return this July with a brand new record.

Bailey Judd

Featuring Clinton ‘Bär’ McKinnon, Angus Leslie, and Shane Lieber and Danny Heifetz this album is a must for fans of the 'classic Mr Bungle' sound. The genre-shifting schizophrenic sounds spliced with wonderfully catchy melodies on the album will satisfy any fan of California whilst bringing and altogether new energy to the ears.

“Danny is a unique creature and one of the best drummers I could ever hope to have on my music,” states McKinnon. “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.”

Desolё captures the energy of this revitalized quartet. The songs are punchy, raw, and surprisingly accessible—a calculated detour into higher-energy, hook-forward territory that still carries Umlaut’s trademark sense of chaos and mischief. “This set of songs was borne of an intention of doing some unapologetically earnest, higher-energy songs with which to bombard our sleepy audiences,” McKinnon continues. “I think it may surprise some fans with its no-holds-barred accessibility.”

For Leslie, the album represented not just a musical shift but a personal education in studio craft. “For me, making Desolё was one of the more instructive things I've done in terms of production and getting sounds,” he shares. “Initially having Idge's Soundpark studios in Northcote for a lot of the sessions, we were like kids in a candy store, with an array of organs, synthesizers, killer mics and outboard gear... Some songs like Grumpy Library were worked out meticulously, others like Vinnie were one basic track take only — we barely knew the song, which only adds to the energy.”

The album’s production weaves together material recorded across three different locations, lending Desolé a richly layered, shape-shifting feel—a controlled chaos honed by experience. Overdub sessions in multiple studios included everything from “chaotic percussion sessions in Danny's studio” to “re-amplified giggling and screaming into distorted amps” at Leslie’s own.

Final mixes were completed at his now-closed Clifton Hill space, with engineers Michael O’Connell and Nao Anzai helping balance the madness.

As Leslie puts it: “Michael really did what I would call a bang-up job on that final stretch, alongside Nao pulling together and balancing all of our chaos.”

Reflecting on the band’s journey, bassist Shane Lieber provides context for the album’s streamlined approach. “After 2 albums, a couple EPs and multiple permutations of the live band... the nightmare of trying to accommodate so many musicians' schedules and varying levels of enthusiasm led us to scale the band back to a 4-piece.”

The pandemic years proved fertile ground for reinvention. “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,” Lieber recalls. With their former drummer stepping aside, the opportunity finally arose to bring Heifetz into the mix. “Over a handful of rehearsals, we worked these tunes up... some being note-for-note recreations of Bar’s demos, others being workshopped and shaped by the band in the rehearsal room.”

Track-list:

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