Sturgill Simpson released Mutiny After Midnight in March under the alias Johnny Blue Skies and the Dark Clouds, initially as a physical-only release on vinyl, CD, and cassette, with streaming to follow later with bonus tracks. The nine-track album was recorded at Easy Eye Sound in Nashville, reportedly written on the spot, and cites the fusion-funk band Stuff and Marvin Gaye’s In Our Lifetime as primary influences. He calls it a dance record.

That’s a significant description from someone whose career has been built on the back of records that are not, by any definition, dance records. Metamodern Sounds in Country Music was a psychedelic country concept record. A Sailor’s Guide to Earth was a soul-country hybrid. Sound and Fury was hard rock with a manga film attached. Each record has been a deliberate departure from the previous one.

Mutiny After Midnight departs again. The Marvin Gaye influence is audible, specifically the late Marvin, the post-Let’s Get It On Gaye who was making increasingly strange and political music in the late 1970s before his death. “Make America Fuk Again” is the title of the opening track, which tells you approximately where the social commentary portion of the album lands. “Venus” and “Don’t Let Go” suggest the personal reflections are warmer.

The album arrives with the bonus tracks promised when streaming becomes available. The Mutiny for the Masses tour runs 29 North American dates with tickets on sale April 10.