Cloudkicker Releases New Album, Goes Back to Digital-Only Distribution

Cloudkicker fans! I’ve got great news, and I’ve got news some of you will not think is great.

The great news, there is a new Cloudkicker album called Woum was released TODAY. You can stream it below or just buy it here. I’m only listening for the first time now while I write this, but so far, it’s like a tongue bath from a box full of puppies. That’s a compliment.

Now the news some of you will not think is great… from Cloudkicker’s Facebook page:

“This will no doubt be a bummer for some but Woum and conceivably any future releases will go back to being digital only like everything was pre-Beacons. Sorry, I know how much people dig the physical releases. But I feel like I have a pretty good reason: Making vinyl is a tremendous pain in the ass. For lots of reasons, not the least of which is the 3-4 month lead time on production that always feels like an incredible drag on momentum.

“I will for sure be losing out on money by doing this, and oh well. The time I’ll have back by not dealing with the production and distribution of these things will more than make up for it to me. I’ve been feeling a little squeezed by the entire merch process recently, and by simplifying things in this way I’ll have more time to actually make music, which I’m excited about. Life has gotten busier in the past year and it doesn’t look like it will slow down any time soon, so this is a way for me to keep things balanced.”

Personally I don’t care because I’m over it with physical media, but as Mr. Sharp himself says, this will no doubt be a bummer for some. Said some should take solace in the fact that digital-only Cloudkicker music is still better than no Cloudkicker at all, and just be grateful Ben Sharp does what he does, lest ye be condemned to a lifetime of Thy Art is Murder. Amen.

Here’s Woum:

[via The PRP]