Party Dozen – Special Unit

Sydney duo Party Dozen return with a new single “Special Unit”.

Written, performed, recorded, mixed and mastered by the band themselves, the track packs a lot into its two minutes and 39 seconds. Less is more. More volume. More energy. In a three week period that will see Party Dozen play Sydney Opera House (for Vivid Festival) and Red Rocks (with Amyl & The Sniffers), “Special Unit” is a huge noise for the huge rooms.

About the track, Party Dozen share: “You have the right to remain stupid. Anything you say or do will be laughable. If you cannot afford common sense, a version of it will be provided for you. You have minimal training and exhibit zero qualities that qualify you for the authority bestowed upon you. So here’s your gun, and your uniform. Have fun out there and welcome to SPECIAL UNIT.”

These words serve as an introduction to the track’s video, which allows us to spend an evening in the company of the Party Dozen Special Unit. As in the award-winning clip for Crime In Australia’s ‘Coup De Gronk’, which was declared Best Video at SXSW Sydney 2025, Kirsty and Jono are a duo inflicting terror upon the people of Sydney, but this time (arguably?) from a different side of the law, and in an altogether less calculated and more

2025 was nothing minor for Party Dozen. The year featured a US tour with Lambrini Girls and a headline tour across mainland Europe, a quick jaunt back to the UK for Pitchfork Fest, a week in NZ and some last Aussie shows with King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, rounding off their busiest year yet. November also saw the release of ‘Mad Rooter’ / ‘Ghost Rider’, a 7″ that signalled the beginning of a new relationship with European label City Slang (Caribou, Lambrini Girls, Jessica Pratt). ‘Mad Rooter’ and ‘Special Unit’ are the first tastes of PD’s fifth album, which will see the light of day later this year.

Party Dozen are Kirsty Tickle (saxophone) and Jonathan Boulet (percussion and sampler), a semi-improvised psych noise band from Sydney. Over the course of four albums they have gone from underground Sydney punks to globetrotting Sydney punks, featuring on festival bills across multiple continents and having guests such as Nick Cave to billy woods feature on their tracks.

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