\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\tLast month, Sturgill Simpson revealed that his new album Mutiny After Midnight<\/a> <\/em>\u2014 his second as his alter ego, Johnny Blue Skies \u2014 would only be released on physical formats<\/a>. And for anyone who doubted that decision, the joke is on you: The album just debuted at Number Three on the Billboard<\/em> 200.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tAccording to Billboard<\/a><\/em>, Mutiny <\/em>landed on the Top 10 with 59,000 equivalent album units earned. It’s the first physical-only release to achieve this since 2023, when Taylor Swift released Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions<\/a><\/em>\u00a0on Record Store Day, released only via independent record shops. Prior to that, Garth Brooks’ five-CD compilation The Anthology: Part I, The First Five Years<\/em>, which was more widely available than Folklore<\/em> \u2014 debuted at Number Four in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tBut as Simpson noted on Instagram<\/a>, Mutiny <\/em>is not a compilation. “So this is the ONLY new album of original music to do it since … we don\u2019t know?” he wrote. “Perhaps Billboard<\/em> can provide that information \u2026”<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tMutiny<\/em> was pressed on six vinyl variants, cassette, and CD. Though the album briefly leaked<\/a> on YouTube, it stopped sharing data<\/a> with Billboard<\/em> late last year. But at the very least, the YouTube release caused excitement and word-of-mouth anticipation for the official March 13 release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tSpeaking about the leak, Simpson wrote, \u201cWe 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. There were some hiccups (and some opportunities) thus some in the moment adjustments that only led to more fun and chaos. Personally, I\u2019m just here for the chaos. Plus I\u2019ve always really wanted to leak my own record\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\tSimpson has yet to announce tour dates in support of Mutiny<\/em>, but charting from physical releases alone is enough to celebrate this disco-country record. “Wanna start a revolution and watch it begin,” Simpson sings on the opener, \u201cMake America Fuk Again.” Amen to that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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