The release of Gnarls Barkley’s second album, ‘The Odd Couple’, has been pushed forward three weeks after it was leaked online.

Originally due out 8th April, the soul sensible duo’s sophomore release was unexpectedly made available for download yesterday, with the CD out in shops later this week.

Stockists are being encouraged to get the album on the shelves as soon as their shipment arrives.

Though Gnarls Barkley owe their meteoric rise two years ago in part to the web, with ‘Crazy’ becoming the first single ever to top the UK charts on download sales alone, the early release suggests they are a little more reluctant to play the internet’s latest game.

Officially, Gnarl’s Barkley haven’t acknowledged the leak.

According to a statement on the band’s website the early release is due to “the shifting seasons, furtive romance entanglements and fierce college basketball rivalries.”

In a webpost that suggests the duo may have been following the Mills-McCartney divorce case, they explained, “the latter half of March can be confusing. People need to be soothed and inspired now.”

‘The Odd Couple’ is preceded by the single ‘Run’, currently at number 36 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Chart.

(by Hazel Sheffield)