Youth Group stay Forever Young with new single, album and national tour

Twenty years on from the recording of their ARIA number one single, Forever Young, Sydney band Youth Group has announced their new single, The Joke, alongside news of a national tour.

The single is the first track off the band’s first album in six years, Big Whoop, set for release on Friday, October 31, via Impressed Recordings and Cassell Records. 

To celebrate the album release, Youth Group will bring their Big Whoop Tour to Milk Bar on Friday, November 7, with additional shows in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

The Panics’ frontman Jae Laffer will join Youth Group as special guest for the Perth show.

The forthcoming album combines Youth Group’s signature indie-rock sound with new explorations into dance-rock, with The Joke set to a jangly, driving sound with a strong melody that traces back to their roots, growing up in the Sydney suburbs. Fans can also expect new dark synth beats in their album, previewed by their 2024 single Siberia. 

“We definitely indulge our love of dancier music,” says frontman Toby Martin. “We’ve been listening to more recent bands like Working Men’s Club that maybe have a similar kind of sound, and we’ve gotten into the idea of being slightly more driving, with a few more drum loops and a few more synthesisers.”

Formed in Sydney’s inner west in the mid-1990s, Youth Group are approaching three decades together, with six studio albums under their belt. Their debut 2000 album release, Urban & Eastern, and 2004’s follow-up, Skeleton Jar, saw the band build a solid reputation for sharply observed lyrics and an effervescent sound. The band has received worldwide recognition, supporting Coldplay on their 2006 Australian Twisted Logic Tour. Their 2019 album, Australian Halloween, was also named one of the Top 50 Albums of 2019 by Double J.

Youth Group’s newest single, The Joke, is out now. Big Whoop is out Friday, October 31, 2025. Youth Group bring their Big Whoop Tour to Milk Bar on Friday, November 7, 2025. Tickets are on sale now from oztix.com.au