Two of underground rap’s most closely watched friends are finally making it official. Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE, with the Surf Gang collective, announced Pompeii // Utility on Tuesday (March 10), a 33-song double LP out April 3 on 10k, Tan Cressida and Surf Gang Records. The first singles, “Minty” and “Earth,” arrived together as a dual-lead video.
The structure is the story. According to The FADER, MIKE handles the first 15 songs, Pompeii, and Earl the last 18, Utility, and the two trade bars on a pair of tracks. Harrison, who co-founded Surf Gang with evilgiane and Eera, was responsible for much of the production, the artists said in an emailed statement. Guests include Jadasea, Anysia Kym, Niontay and Na-Kel Smith on the first disc and Lerado Khalil on the second.
The sound and the title
The album and single artwork to date are all by ceramic artist Sharif Farrag, per The FADER. MIKE told Pitchfork last year that he chose Pompeii because the people in the studio were so wiped out they ended up in crazy positions, frozen in place. The tracklist runs from MIKE’s “MY WORST (rebuke)” and “Back LA” to Earl’s “Home on the Range” and “Sisyphus.”
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A former mixtape-in-waiting grew into this. The FADER notes that MIKE mentioned an upcoming tape with Surf Gang last January that never materialized, and it has since evolved into a double disc with Earl. Pitchfork points out that the pair have circled each other for years as collaborators and tourmates; both put out acclaimed solo albums in 2025, MIKE’s Showbiz! and Earl’s Live Laugh Love, and Surf Gang’s last release, with British rapper Jawnino, came out in December.
The tour
The Home on the Range tour starts in Riverside, Calif., on June 9, then goes through Los Angeles, Denver, Cleveland, New York’s Brooklyn Paramount (July 8) and Charlotte before ending its U.S. leg in Myrtle Beach on July 18, with Harrison on most dates. A month-long European run follows, from Poland’s OFF Festival (Aug. 7) to Tilburg in the Netherlands on Sept. 8, and The FADER warns that a few of the festival dates are MIKE only (or Earl only), so overseas fans should double-check their plans.
Why it matters
Earl and MIKE represent the thoughtful end of the underground, the part of hip-hop that favors loops, murk and shorthand. A project of this size from the two of them is an event in that world. It later showed up on Complex’s midyear list, one of the lists we rounded up for the best albums of 2026 so far, and it’s among the releases in our best new music of April.
- Album
- *Pompeii // Utility*, 33 tracks
- Out
- April 3 via 10k, Tan Cressida and Surf Gang Records
- Split
- MIKE, tracks 1–15; Earl, tracks 16–33
- Tour
- Home on the Range, June 9 to Sept. 8
Sources
Added to the High Grailed archive on October 12, 2026.
