Sturgill Simpson’s latest project under his Johnny Blue Skies and the Dark Clouds alias, Mutiny After Midnight, has had a rollout as unpredictable as one of his cosmic country jams. The album officially dropped on vinyl, CD, and cassette last Friday, March 13, but attentive fans noticed it had already appeared on YouTube a couple of weeks earlier, only to be swiftly removed.

On release day, Simpson shared a statement thanking fans and hinting that a streaming release might happen “at some point,” cheekily adding, “Plus, I’ve always really wanted to leak my own record.” That playful energy, however, took a turn over the weekend when a digital version of Mutiny After Midnight surfaced on Bandcamp, uploaded by someone claiming to be Simpson.

The ruse didn’t go unnoticed. After a link to the Bandcamp release circulated on the Sturgill Simpson subreddit, Simpson himself addressed the situation via Instagram Story, calling it a “scam.” He warned fans: “No… we are not selling the digital album on Bandcamp kids… somebody pretending to be us is claiming they are. Do not buy this because: 1. It doesn’t exist, 2. They ain’t him.”

He later elaborated, writing that his team was “in contact with Bandcamp and all appropriate parties in the process of acquiring all cc and transaction information / TC dump IP related info,” adding with trademark irreverence: “We got all them tools bitches! All those affected will be refunded and the miserable shit asses responsible will be keelhauled… we’re gonna duke nukem.”

For now, the safest way to experience Mutiny After Midnight as Simpson intended is through a physical copy. Fans can also catch the music video for the album’s standout track, “Situation,” which channels the cosmic, genre-blending energy that has become Simpson’s signature.