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Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE, frequent collaborators and leaders of a certain strain of underground rap, have gotten together to release a new album that’ll be produced entirely by SURF GANG, the adventurous collective who we profiled<\/a> back in 2023. We didn’t get a PR announcement or anything, but the new album POMPEII \/ UTILITY<\/em> comes out in less than a month. From all appearances, it’s a double album, with MIKE doing the first half and Earl Sweatshirt doing the second. Right now, both of them have singles out, and there’s a music video with both songs. <\/p>\n MIKE and Earl Sweatshirt have been influencing one another for years, and they’ve been working together steadily since 2020, when Earl appeared on MIKE’s song “allstar<\/a>.” It’ll be interesting to hear the two of them doing extended work with SURF GANG, whose sound is frisky and energetic. The combination has led to good shit in the past, as SURF GANG leader evilgiane produced Earl’s excellent 2023 single “Making The Band (Danity Kane)<\/a>.” Both Earl and MIKE released albums last year \u2014 Earl’s Live Laugh Love<\/a><\/em>, MIKE’s Showbiz! <\/a><\/em>and the Tony Seltzer collab Pinball 2<\/a><\/em>. Last year, SURF GANG teamed up with UK rapper Jawnino for the collaborative project amnesia<\/a><\/em>, and evilgiane released the instrumental LP Giane 2<\/a><\/em> in January.<\/p>\n MIKE’s half of POMPEII \/ UTILITY<\/em> comes first, and it features appearances from Anysia Kim, Niontay, Jadasea, and Na-Kel Smith, with Earl on one track. Earl’s part of the album has one track with MIKE and another with Lerado Khali. The whole thing is going to be long \u2014 33 tracks, with 15 from MIKE and 18 from Earl. The video includes the MIKE song “Minty,” produced by evilgiane and DC beatmaker\/death metal musician Pentagrvm, and the Earl song “Earth,” produced by SURF GANG member Harrison. Ian Lopez and Richard Phillip Smith directed the clip, in which MIKE, Earl, and friends hang out around mountainous beaches in what I’m guessing is California. It looks like the place where the car chase happens in One Battle After Another<\/em>.<\/p>\n Hypebeast reports that Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE also have plans to tour North America and Europe this summer. Below, check out the video for “Minty” and “Earth,” the POMPEII \/ UTILITY<\/em> tracklist, and those tour dates.<\/p>\n