News · 12 November 2026

Gang of Youths Announce Fourth Album 'Compañero', Share New Single 'Benny's Video'

The album reveal coincides with Gang of Youths being announced as part of the 2027 Coachella lineup.

Gang of Youths - photo by Cal Mcintyre

Sydney rockers Gang of Youths have announced that their fourth studio album, Compañero, is arriving Friday 12 March 2027 via Mosy Recordings/Sony Music Australia/RCA UK /Arista US.

The group have also shared the album's second single, 'Benny's Video', following August’s ARIA-nominated single 'Things Take Time'.

Adding synths to their sound and drawing inspiration from Michael Haneke's 1992 film of the same name, 'Benny's Video' has a War on Drugs quality to it. Produced by Jung Kim and the band and mixed by Jonathan Low, the track was recorded across Hoxa Studios, Urchin Studios and Decoy Studios and features string arrangements by Tom Hobden.

'Benny's Video' gives fans another glimpse at what to expect from Gang of Youths' next body of work, with frontman and primary songwriter David Le'aupepe embracing a broader approach to songwriting on Compañero, which means companion, partner or comrade in Spanish. Instead of immersing themselves in heavy themes such as grief and trauma, the band has approached these songs with a sense of curiosity and contentment.

"I had this realisation that I didn't need to channel all this brutality anymore," says Le'aupepe. "I used to do that out of some shame about being an artist. But I began looking at my life and experience, and began to think that making art is a worthwhile thing to continue exploring in itself."

Taking inspiration from the literary storytelling of Leonard Cohen, Warren Zevon, Tom Waits, David Berman and Bill Callahan, Le'aupepe began exploring new characters and narratives after a period of writer's block. Bringing his ideas to bandmates Jung Kim (keys, guitar), Donnie Borzestowski (drums) and Tom Hobden (violin, guitar, keys), the quartet collaborated on a batch of songs in Hobden's London home that would become Compañero.

"The writing process was fairly arduous, but ultimately freeing," says Kim. "The most difficult stage was discerning what the hell we wanted to make. We were so used to writing from this place of overt earnestness and sincerity, but we felt like we’d grown out of the need to make something overly rambunctious. We wanted to experiment with arrangements that were more refined, more lean. Every element had to earn its place on this record."

That renewed sense of freedom also brought a lighter, more playful energy into the studio.

"We’re actually incredibly goofy and light-hearted, and I think we wanted this to be felt in what we made next," explains Kim. "The approach was often quite whimsical, leading to uncharted territory sonically."

Compañero arrives as Gang of Youths look to cement their status as one of Australia's most exciting live acts, gearing up to headline Tasmania's Party In The Paddock and being announced as part of the Coachella 2027 bill, with an Australian tour hopefully on the horizon.

'Benny's Video' is out now. Listen here. Compañero arrives Friday 12 March 2027 via Mosy Recordings/Sony Music Australia/RCA UK /Arista US. Pre-order/save here.