Buffalo indie rockers Lemuria have been a pillar of the DIY touring circuit for well over a decade, but they haven’t released a proper full-length album since 2013’s awesome The Distance Is So Big. That will change this Friday with the surprise release of a new LP called Recreational Hate. And if you’re one of the people who recently purchased a secret bundle from Lemuria’s web store this year, chances are you already have the album today.

Twice before the band has sold secret releases, which turned out to be a 12″ version of their original demo CD-R and a 7″ outtakes collection. But as they explained in a letter to fans who purchased this third secret record, they wanted to reward their most loyal supporters by giving them first crack at a new studio album. Until then, the rest of us will have to suffice with lead single “Wanted To Be Yours,” a brass-inflected track that paints this iteration of Lemuria as a peppy indie-pop cousin to Yo La Tengo. Hear it below.

Here’s the letter Lemuria sent to fans who unknowingly pre-ordered Recreational Hate:

Thanks to everyone who took a gamble and purchased the “secret LP” we put up for sale back in August. We’re excited to unveil that the LP you ordered is our new studio album, “Recreational Hate”. Your trust and subsequent purchase enabled us to achieve some great feats with this release, including working with the 4-time Grammy winning producer and engineer Chris Shaw. We chose to work with him, in part, for his very eclectic discography, including the Weezer “Blue” album, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Ice Cube, Wilco, Public Enemy, Modest Mouse, A Tribe Called Quest, Ween and Lou Reed. You also gave us the opportunity to launch Turbo Worldwide, our new record label and home base for all things Lemuria. As a “thank you”, you are receiving the LP approximately the same time as this announcement, 2 months before the album reaches the shelves of your local record store.

A few years back, we thought it would be fun to place some very old songs (our CD-R-only demo) on an LP, and put it up for sale as a mysterious “Secret” release. Whoever bought this wouldn’t know what they ordered until it arrived in the mail and they spun it on their record player. We held no expectations as to what the response would be, however it was overwhelmingly positive, and the folks who received this special item seemed to enjoy the fun and mystery as much as we did. We tried various iterations of this in years to come, and we noticed that, each time we did, it was a similar group of friends and supporters who jumped on the opportunity. It’s the same group of folks who tirelessly support our shows, support our releases, and are our motivating force that inspire us to keep actualizing our passion. We don’t, not even for a second, take this amount of trust and support for granted. As a thank you, when we were planning the release for “Recreational Hate”, we decided to go this secretive route once again in hopes that a similar investment from you would turn into an even bigger reward of a full-length studio album.

These songs represent our next step forward. It has been a wild adventure for us to arrive
to this moment of releasing the album. Thank you for traveling with us.

Love,
Lemuria

Lemuria have some West Coast dates with Jeff Rosenstock and ROAR this winter:

02/15 Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge
02/16 Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
02/18 Los Angeles, CA @ The Teragram Ballroom
02/22 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
02/24 Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Atrium

Recreational Hate is will be streaming and available for digital purchase 12/15 via Turbo Worldwide/Asian Man Records/Big Scary Monsters. A physical version will follow in February around the time Lemuria’s tour kicks off.