In news that will please fans of retro-futuristic rap everywhere, The Cool Kids have announced that their long (looooong) anticipated debut album has finally found a home—albeit an appropriately non-traditional one.
When Fish Ride Bicycles will be the first album released by Mountain Dew's hip music imprint Green Label Sound. The label, run by Cornerstone Media, of The FADER fame, has previously been known for releasing free singles by buzzy young artists like Theophilus London, Jay Electronica, Kid Sister, and MNDR. The Cool Kids' full-length LP will mark a new phase for the company, which will soon roll-out an iTunes digital storefront for its artists.
The Chicago-meets-Detroit duo have put out a few mixtapes and singles since their first EP The Bake Sale came out in 2008 during the height of the "hipster rap" era. Though times have changed, producer Chuck Inglish's post-Pharrell minimalist boom-bap and MC Mikey Rocks' charismatic delivery have held on to a fervent fan base online and on the festival circuit.
With Green Label Sound, The Cool Kids will enjoy an unheard of 100 percent of album revenues after iTunes fees. The duo had previously worked with the label for their single "Delivery Man" in 2008. Inglish told Billboard he couldn't be happier about the new deal.
"Labels suck. What can they do that Pepsi can't do? We had a good experience with Green Label Sound—we got more from that single than we got from our previous album. I was tired of the album sitting around and just wanted to get it out. We totally got the best deal in the world—by accident," he said.
When Fish Ride Bicycles is due out this spring.