Longtime collaborators and friends Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE, and the NYC producer collective SURF GANG have unveiled their joint double LP, POMPEII // UTILITY, set for release on April 3rd via 10k/Tan Cressida/SURF GANG Records. Spanning 33 tracks, the album brings together two of hip-hop’s most critically celebrated voices with the forward-thinking production of SURF GANG, guided heavily by founding producer Harrison, who has previously worked with Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE, and Veeze.
The project has been years in the making, with fans catching glimpses through snippets and teasers, and serves as both a creative culmination and a celebration of long-standing friendships. Arriving after MIKE’s Showbiz! and Earl Sweatshirt’s Live, Laugh, Love in 2025, POMPEII // UTILITY functions as a victory lap tracing over a decade of collaboration, from Earl Sweatshirt championing MIKE in 2016 to previous tracks like allstar and Sentry.
The album emphasizes a collective, community-driven ethos. Every aspect, from production to artwork, was kept within the “family,” featuring contributions from sculptor and Earl Sweatshirt’s childhood friend Sharif Farrag. Musically, the record showcases both artists in a comfortable, playful mode, contrasting the introspective tones that defined their early work. Tracks like NOT 4TW highlight MIKE’s reflective yet confident lyricism, while the overall chemistry avoids rivalry, instead emphasizing shared joy, grief, and creativity.
The album’s title, POMPEII // UTILITY, draws on the eruption of Pompeii as a metaphor for creation and destruction, an idea sparked during a studio session where the collaborators felt “frozen in time,” a concept mirrored in the project’s art and music.
Alongside the album announcement, Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE, and SURF GANG have released the lead double single and video Minty // Earth, directed by Ian Lopez and Richard Phillip Smith. Structured as a two-part narrative—MIKE in Minty, Earl in Earth—the video reflects the collaborative energy and hints at the expansive journey of the full 33-track LP.
The release also comes with the announcement of their Home on the Range tour, hitting 26 U.S. cities this June before extending overseas to Europe. Artist presale begins Wednesday, March 11th at 10 am local time (password: UTILITY), Spotify presale on Thursday, March 12th (password: THEHARP), with general tickets available Friday, March 13th at 10 am local time.
POMPEII // UTILITY promises to be a landmark in collaborative hip-hop, uniting two generations of NYC talent with a producer collective known for pushing the genre forward.
Earl Sweatshirt: Instagram | X
MIKE: Instagram | X
SURF GANG: Instagram | X