Baauer returns after six years
- Producer Baauer announced his first full album in six years and released a new single this week. - Social posts promoting the single highlighted a refreshed electronic direction and the project’s long gap between records. - The comeback framing taps festival and streaming cycles that often reward scarcity and narrative comebacks. (x.com)
Baauer is back with his first full-length album in six years, and he opened the rollout this week with a new single called “Better.” (baauer.bandcamp.com) The album is called *U*, Baauer’s third studio LP, and Bandcamp lists its release date as June 12, 2026. Apple Music also shows a 16-song tracklist with “Better” at No. 12. (baauer.bandcamp.com) (music.apple.com) Bandcamp describes *U* as “an ode” to the dance tracks that shaped Baauer as a teenager in London, and says Hudson Mohawke executive-produced the record. The guest list includes Aluna, Brazy, Betsy, Kučka and pianist Eli Teplin, with additional production from Parisi. (baauer.bandcamp.com) The lead single points to a different palette than the trap-heavy sound many listeners still associate with Baauer’s early run. Bandcamp’s album notes describe “Better” as “delirious disco-house,” while the official visualiser on YouTube promotes *U* ahead of its June 12 release. (baauer.bandcamp.com) (youtube.com) The gap is central to the comeback pitch. *U* follows *Planet’s Mad*, which Baauer released in 2020, making this his first album-length return in six years. (music.apple.com) (www.yahoo.com) That timeline matters in dance music, where album campaigns often compete with singles, festival sets and playlist churn. Baauer’s official Bandcamp page frames *U* as his “most personal” album, tying the new music to biography instead of just club utility. (baauer.bandcamp.com) Baauer, born Harrison Rodrigues, still carries the long shadow of “Harlem Shake,” the 2012 single that turned into a viral global hit. His official YouTube Music bio says the track became a double-platinum No. 1 and helped launch a career that later stretched across hip-hop, pop and festival electronic music. (music.youtube.com) He has kept releasing music between albums, including singles and smaller projects. Bandcamp shows a five-track release called *4 U* dated April 15, 2026, one week before the wider *U* album push accelerated. (baauer.bandcamp.com) Now the story is simple: a producer best known for one of the internet era’s biggest dance records is returning with a 16-track album, a brighter first single and a fixed release date in June. After six years between LPs, Baauer is asking listeners to hear him as more than the guy who made “Harlem Shake.” (baauer.bandcamp.com) (music.youtube.com)
