Thrice have updated their blog addressing the very early leak of their upcoming album, Beggars. The record apparently leaked onto the internet - albeit with voice watermarks - this Monday in advance of the October 13, 2009 release. The band had this to say:
Obviously, we're incredibly disappointed with what happened. We understand that records leak constantly and that it's almost entirely unavoidable nowadays, but we never thought we'd have to deal with a record leaking three months before it's release date, and certainly never thought we'd have to deal with a leak before anyone in the band had even gotten a master reference of the record, or before the artwork for the booklet had even been completed.We're also disappointed that you're hearing the record for the first time, watermarked, with a Vagrant Records voiceover over every song. And we're disappointed that the leak has thrown a massive and immovable wrench into the efforts that many people have made to prepare for the three months leading up to release. That said, what's done is done, and we're moving forward.
"Beggars" will be available for download, legally and voiceover free–the way it was intended to be heard–as soon as we can possibly make it happen. Leaks happen overnight. Changing an entire retail marketing plan doesn't.