Wilco, beloved indie-rock band, released an unannounced album for free online on Thursday night. “What’s more fun than a surprise?” frontman Jeff Tweedy wrote on Facebook. “Why release an album this way and why make it free?”, the statement reads.
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The title of the album was considerably less obvious. At first listen, the record does not appear to have anything in common with the film version / cinematic universe of Star Wars, besides maybe having very good SEO. The cover depicts a blinking white cat in front of a vase of flowers.
Star Wars will be available in physical form August 21 on CD, and November 27 on vinyl – fans can pre-order either through the band’s website.
Again produced by Jeff Tweedy and Tom Schick, Stars Wars on first hearing has pulled off the same trick. However, few expected Wilco to join the ranks of Radiohead, Beyoncé and Drake in releasing a new album without announcement.
Star Wars, which clocks in at just 34 minutes, is streaming in full on the band’s YouTube page.
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Wilco is in the midst of a summer US tour, which included their own Solid Sound festival in Massachusetts. It is also available on Tidal, although not (yet) on Spotify.
