diff --git a/src/Network/Statsd.hs b/src/Network/Statsd.hs
--- a/src/Network/Statsd.hs
+++ b/src/Network/Statsd.hs
@@ -51,9 +51,9 @@
 type Hostname = String
 type Port = Int
 
-fromURI :: URI -> IO (Maybe StatsdClient)
+fromURI :: URI -> IO StatsdClient
 fromURI uri = case uriAuthority uri of
-              Nothing   -> return Nothing
+              Nothing   -> fail "invalid URI"
               Just auth -> let hostname = uriRegName' auth
                                port = fromMaybe 8126 $ (actualPort . uriPort) auth
                                prefix = replace '/' '.' (uriPath uri)
@@ -82,17 +82,13 @@
     uriRegName' auth = let hostname = uriRegName auth
                         in (takeWhile (/=']') . dropWhile (=='[')) hostname
 
-client :: Hostname -> Port -> Stat -> Maybe Key -> IO (Maybe StatsdClient)
+client :: Hostname -> Port -> Stat -> Maybe Key -> IO StatsdClient
 client host port namespace key = do
-  socket <- tryIOError (do
-    (addr:_) <- Net.getAddrInfo Nothing (Just host) (Just $ show port)
-    sock <- Net.socket (Net.addrFamily addr) Net.Datagram Net.defaultProtocol
-    Net.connect sock (Net.addrAddress addr)
-    return sock)
+  (addr:_) <- Net.getAddrInfo Nothing (Just host) (Just $ show port)
+  sock <- Net.socket (Net.addrFamily addr) Net.Datagram Net.defaultProtocol
+  Net.connect sock (Net.addrAddress addr)
 
-  return $ case socket of
-    Left e  -> Nothing
-    Right s -> Just $ StatsdClient s namespace key
+  return $ StatsdClient sock namespace key
 
 increment :: StatsdClient -> Stat -> IO ()
 increment client stat = count client stat 1
diff --git a/statsd-client.cabal b/statsd-client.cabal
--- a/statsd-client.cabal
+++ b/statsd-client.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name: statsd-client
-version: 0.1.0.3
+version: 0.2.0.0
 cabal-version: >=1.10
 build-type: Simple
 license: MIT