Those who pre-ordered vinyl copies of the much-anticipated record will have to wait until mid-June to get their hard copy — or until September for the double LP special edition — but anyone with an internet connection can hear the band’s new music right this second.
As long as you aren’t an exclusive user of Spotify, Google Play, or SoundCloud, that is.
The new album, which Rolling Stone took less than 12 hours to call a “haunting, stunning triumph,” can be purchased in MP3 and Wav formats through the group’s own website, as well as iTunes, and is streamable on several major services. Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon subscribers were all given access to the record immediately, but Spotify, SoundCloud, and Google Play have yet to receive the record.
Spotify users were initially hopeful about getting the band’s new album, after the first two singles were released on the service last week. But the Swedish streamer has been criticized by frontman Thom Yorke in recent years, and was likely purposefully left out of the full release because of the band’s negative feelings about it.
Speaking of wrath, Google Play may have actually wrecked its own chances of getting the record. Some Reddit users reported that A Moon Shaped Pool was streaming on the service in full an hour before it was set to be officially released, leading to speculation that the band decided to pull it from Google permanently due to the presumed snafu.
A beautifully recorded album that showcases the band’s serious ability in a studio environment, we recommend listening to the new songs in as high quality as you can, on the nicest sound system you can get your hands on.
