Unknown Mortal Orchestra have returned with a new track titled ‘I Killed Captain Cook’. Ruban Nielson wrote the song as a tribute to his mother, Deedee Aipolani Nielson, a Kanaka Maoli from Hilo and Miss Aloha Hula 1973, who also features in the single’s cover art and accompanying video. Check it out below.
According to a press release, the song is “told from the perspective of the Hawaiian that killed Captain James Cook, the English explorer largely responsible for the colonization of Polynesia, who attempted to kidnap Hawaiian chief Kalaniʻōpuʻu, and eventually met his demise in Hawai’i as a result. Nielson’s mother would tell him the story as a child with pride.”
Marking Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s first new music of the year, ‘I Killed Captain Cook’ serves as the first preview of an upcoming double album due out in 2023. Last year, they shared the singles ‘That Life’ and ‘Weekend Run’.
