Cooee launch their new album at Franks Wild Years in Thirroul with support from Lamonay Brown.

‘Welcome’ marks the release of Cooee’s debut album, ‘Messengers’. The lead single is a homecoming song. Based on the poem of the same name from Kirli’s poetry collection Returning (Magabala Books, 2023). It tells the story of Kirli travelling back to her Great Grandmother's (Mary Elizabeth Stephen's) Gunai Country, and connecting with the Land, Skies and Waters there. It's a song that honours the Ancestors on Kirli’s Matrilineal line, celebrating their survival and resistance. The accompanying music video was shot on Garigal, Gayamagal and Gadigal land by director Rhys Warren.

Kirli says, ‘Welcome’ honours my Grandparents and theirs who were moved onto the Bung Yarnda and Ramahyuck missions in Victoria and whose lives were deeply affected by this displacement and dehumanisation. It speaks to the inheritance of our collective history, but also our bold blak wisdom, and our strength.

Cooee’s debut album ‘Messengers’ is a creative collaboration between musicians and visual artists, Mark Chester Harding and Gunai woman, Kirli Saunders. The songs were all written based on existing poems of Kirli’s and demos of Mark’s. The two met performing Like a Version with Jack River in late 2024. That week Mark bought copies of Kirli’s poetry collections ‘Eclipse’ and ‘Returning’ and began sending song sketches to Kirli. Two weeks later they’d written most of the songs on ‘Messengers’ and created Cooee. Reminiscent of iconic Australian acts, Ball Park Music, The Middle East and Emily Wurramara, their songs speak to themes of connection to and caring for Country, language and culture, grief and joy.

The album features musical collaborations from First Nations women’s choir Mudjingaal Yangamba, Djirringanj musician Warren Foster Jr, Ngiyampaa, Yuin and Gumbayngirr violinist Eric Avery, Kairi yidaki player Broc Piazza, alongside Harry Day (Middle Kids), Campbell Messer (King Stingray), Nic Johnston (Sons of the East), Josh Rea (The Dreggs) and Allan Kumpulainen (Dappled Cities). Recorded on Gadigal and Wangal lands at Golden Retriever Studios, the project is produced by Mark, engineered by Simon Berckelman (Courtney Barnett, Lime Cordiale) and mixed by Paul McKercher (Ball Park Music, Augie March).

Lamonay Brown is a proud Gomeroi woman, coming from Moree, a small country town in NSW. She'll be performing original songs including her latest single 'Mission Girl' inspired by her Nan’s life.

Contact the host of Cooee album launch at Franks Wild Years