NSync briefly reunited at the 2013 MTV VMAs.

Story highlights

Sony released a double NSync album

It contains classics and rare material

The group says they didn't know it was coming

EW.com  — 

NSync is back! Kind of.

The group’s label, Sony Legacy Records, released The Essential *NSYNC, a double album featuring NSync’s hits as well as some rarer songs, Tuesday—and the band, evidently, had no idea.

Lance Bass posted a photo of the album on Instagram, writing, “I love when the record label doesn’t even tell you they are releasing a new ‘NSYNC album tomorrow! Sounds like they don’t anyone to know about it.” Despite the apparent lack of promotion, plenty of people found out about its release: The album is already out of stock on Amazon and is currently one of the most downloaded albums on iTunes.

“There’s a lot of these songs I don’t think I’ve ever heard, I remember recording them but I’ve never heard them before, so I’m interested in just hearing it,” Bass said on his radio show “Dirty Pop” after hearing the news. Some of those songs include “Believe in Yourself,” which they performed on Sesame Street in 2000, and a cover of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”

The group’s label, Sony Legacy Records, released The Essential *NSYNC, a double album featuring NSync’s hits as well as some rarer songs, Tuesday—and the band, evidently, had no idea.

Lance Bass posted a photo of the album on Instagram, writing, “I love when the record label doesn’t even tell you they are releasing a new ‘NSYNC album tomorrow! Sounds like they don’t anyone to know about it.” Despite the apparent lack of promotion, plenty of people found out about its release: The album is already out of stock on Amazon and is currently one of the most downloaded albums on iTunes.

“There’s a lot of these songs I don’t think I’ve ever heard, I remember recording them but I’ve never heard them before, so I’m interested in just hearing it,” Bass said on his radio show “Dirty Pop” after hearing the news. Some of those songs include “Believe in Yourself,” which they performed on Sesame Street in 2000, and a cover of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”

Bass isn’t the only NSync-er excited to hear what tracks are on this surprise album: Chris Kirkpatrick wrote “It’s great to release some of the songs that had never made a record before!” on Twitter Tuesday. Joey Fatone and JC Chasez also took to Twitter to thank their fans, but Justin Timberlake has yet to make any sort of statement about the album—he’s probably too busy listening to it on repeat like the rest of us.

Though NSync hasn’t released an album together since 2001’s Celebrity, the five briefly reunited at 2013’s VMAs to perform a medley of “Girlfriend” and “Bye Bye Bye.”

See the original story at EW.com.