Sturgill Simpson on Leaking His Own Album ‘Mutiny After Midnight’

After weeks of anticipation and a stream-it-while-you-can leak, Johnny Blue Skies has officially released his latest album, Mutiny After Midnight. It’s currently available only in physical formats — vinyl, compact disc, and that old standby, the cassette — but Sturgill Simpson, the man behind JBS, tells fans the album will likely end up on digital streaming services. “At some point.”

In a lengthy Instagram story, which, like Mutiny After Midnight on YouTube, is destined to disappear, Simpson explained the wild, unconventional rollout behind the project, the followup to 2024’s Passage du Desir.

“We had originally planned a physical only release for at least the first 4-6 weeks to support and show solidarity with independent record shops and to promote an increasingly bygone physical and tangible connection between music and music fans,” he wrote. “There were some hiccups (and some opportunities) thus some in the moment adjustments that only led to more fun and chaos. Personally, I’m just here for the chaos.

“Plus I’ve always really wanted to leak my own record…” he continued.

Johnny Blue Skies, and his backing band the Dark Clouds, did just that earlier this month, uploading the complete album to YouTube. Rolling Stone called it an LP ”inspired by the carnal things that happen after the clock strikes 12” in its review at the time. Then, Mutiny After Midnight vanished from online.

“We’ll probably put it on iTunes at some point. We’ll probably stream it (with bonus tracks) at some point. But the album is out in stores today,” he wrote. “Go buy a physical copy…or don’t. Stream it illegally…or don’t. But as your attorney, I advise you to put the phone down, get out of the house, and go grab a copy and find a place to crank it with some friends or even strangers…you might even get laid.”

Johnny Blue Skies and the Dark Clouds have yet to announce any tour dates behind Mutiny After Midnight, but fans of the glammy, sexed-up album sure are ready for them. “It’s all the same fucking day man,” Simpson signed his message, “so don’t let the bastards ya down.”