ZEX -- an Ottawa hardcore quartet whose songs include "Child Soldier" and "Burn the Flag" -- posted on Facebook a yellow record labeled as Beyonce's "Lemonade" playing on a turntable, but the sound was guitar power chords and shouted vocals.

Columbia Records in a statement acknowledged a manufacturing mistake, blaming unspecified "human error" at a plant in Germany. 

Read also: Beyonce is interested in buying a stake in the Houston Rockets

Rejecting any notion that it was an artistic decision, the label said: "Beyonce and ZEX were not aware of or responsible for the mispress."

The mistake was only on the A-side of "Lemonade" on a small number of records, said the label, which promised refunds and exchanges.

ZEX -- who have 8,000 likes on Facebook, compared with Beyonce's 64 million -- on Monday were directing the curious to a new website to buy the music.

"Lemonade," which came out last year, was considered the most musically adventurous album of the pop superstar's career as she branched into hip-hop, country -- and hard rock, with Jack White and Led Zeppelin members among the credited songwriters.

Popular

The fragile promise of pluralism, religious freedom in Southeast Asia

Furniture exporters decry new quarantine rule

BRICS shows internal rifts as ministers fall short of joint statement