Really excited to announce that we've sent the CD order off to be manufactured - the digital masters and artwork are complete and so you'll all finally get to hear Departure this weekend!
Download codes will be coming to everyone who had that as part of their package and who has completed the survey, so watch your inbox tomorrow!
A few other quick things to know: - We will have the CDs and t-shirts in-hand the first week of August and will get those sent out to you (or available for pickup) ASAP. - The lead time on the vinyl is longer as we need to re-master for vinyl and they just take longer to make. We'll know more about timing soon.
Now this should go without saying, but with the great power of having MP3s in hand comes great responsibility. Specifically: We've worked really hard to ensure that the artists who we sampled (or sometimes the people who happen to own the rights to the music...which makes us feel a certain kind of way...but that's better kept to our mailing list) are fairly compensated for our use of their art. We've got contracts in various stages of completion but the upshot is that the artists/rights holders will get paid for every copy produced. That's only fair, so we'd please ask you not copy or share the album. We want this all to be on the up-and-up as much as possible!
Finally, just so you know just how good you all have it: Due to the requirements to please The Algorithm, the full album won't be available on streaming until much later in the year - so you really are going to be first on the block to have it to listen to for quite some time! Oh won't your friends be jealous! :)
We CAN'T WAIT to hear what you think of 'Departure'. It's been an absolute labour of love and we think you're going to love it as much as we do.
A couple quick updates and a special goody for our backers today!
1) The survey is with Backerkit for review. That means (fingers crossed) that backers will be formally receiving a short survey this week to collect info like shipping address and t-shirt sizes. This is a big milestone in our release schedule and making sure we get 'Departure' and the other great items to you as quickly as possible.
2) We're into the very final stages of production. Everything is being mastered, the artwork is coming together, the liner notes and thank yous are lined up, and we've got the printers standing by. It's so exciting to see it all come together!
Now, if you're a backer of the project then you'll also be able to access and download the very first single off the album which will formally release in the next week - Haul Away Joe. This features some awesome samples from the great Leadbelly's version of the same song and a new, bluesy melody composed by our very own James. We'd love to hear your thoughts!
Things are moving along nicely and you'll very shortly be receiving an email survey to collect your shipping details and other preferences, like t-shirt size and colour. We are working through a small technical issue with the Backerkit platform related to local pickup options, but as soon as that's sorted the survey will go out.
In the meantime, we wanted to share the four fantastic new colourways for the t-shirts. We had a lot of debate about which colours to go for, before ultimately deciding we should listen to Richard's wife because she has far more style than all of us combined.
So with that, here are the awesome combinations to choose from. From left to right: Beach Vibes (blue on sand), Classic (white on black), Hidden Treasure (gold on black) and Blackout (black on black)
And here's a sizing chart:
T-shirts will also be available as an add-on if you're finding your summer wardrobe needs a bit more awesomeness in it.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! We exceeded our goal thanks to your incredible support. Here's what happens now and what to expect over the coming weeks.
1. THIS WEEK: We did a full album listening party together yesterday, agreed the tracks for Departure, the digital bonus download, and the tracks for the Sea Sides EP. They're all fantastic, of course, and we have some very small tweaks to a handful mixes that will be completed this week. We have some samples that need to be cleared and that will also happen starting this week. Finally, we'll be locking in the designs and colourways for the beloved t-shirts.
2. NEXT TWO WEEKS: A few tracks are being mastered already but the remainder will be shipped out. We're prioritizing digital mastering with the analogue (vinyl) as a fast follow simply because that will enable us to release a single and start promoting properly. We'll also be finalizing the artwork, liner notes, and thank yous. MOST IMPORTANTLY, you'll also receive a survey during this time to get all the important information from you like t-shirt size and colour, shipping address etc.
3. BACK END OF JUNE: We'll be off to printing and production! As soon as we have them in-hand, we'll start shipping. Our plan is to get everything packaged up and ready to go over the course of a weekend and do one large mail drop, which of course we'll be very excited about and let you all know about.
In the meantime, expect regular updates from us right here - and if you have any questions, simply pop us a note to [email protected]
This is our first ever crowdfund and you've made it a success and a pleasure, so one last time for the kids in the cheap seats: THANK YOU!!!
Just a very quick update today. Our campaign closes at the end of the week and THANK YOU again to everyone who's supported us.
We have just sent the first three tracks off to be mastered and will be sharing a sneak peek with all of our backers as soon as we get the first track back.
We are well on track to have the album fully mastered by mid-June at which point we'll pop everything off to be printed. We anticipate being able to share digital download codes and ship the CDs in July, with the LPs as a fast-follow (they just take longer to manufacture).
Only 6 days to go - please help us continue to spread the word!
