In January 2026, Union Duke released UD IV, their fourth full-length studio album and their first major release in a decade. It marks a personal transition for the guys, with the departure of original bassman Will “The Milk” Staunton part-way through the recording process. The album was completed by the four remaining members, Matt Warry-Smith, Ethan Smith, Jim McDonald, and Rob McLaren, with the addition of Ian McKeown on bass, Aaron Goldstein (who also produced the album at his studio Gold Standard Recorders) on steel, and Joel Visentin on keys and accordion. They’re different people, but rumour has it they can still act like they used to.

Musically speaking, the boys drew from many wells to distill this collection of sounds and words. UD IV finds the lads musing on love, romantic love, brotherly love, love lost, love that could never be, love viewed through the bottom of a bottle, love grown cold, and love for coffee (yet again). The core UD principles—play it together and sing like you mean it, ideally in harmony—are prevalent as ever, sometimes buttressed by driving rock grooves, or interwoven with trading organ and guitar licks, or simply served to you live off the floor as if to drop you in the middle of a fiddle and banjo fueled kitchen party. Throughout, the band implores you to hold on to the things and the people that make you come alive, because you might not get a chance later.