Lambchop to return with first new album in four years, Punching The Clown

Punching The Clown follows the Tennessee band's 2022 album The Bible, with "Weakened" arriving as the first preview. The track sees Lambchop lead Kurt Wagner play alongside Andrew Broder on guitar, with Justin Vernon on banjo, and a full choir led by Blake Morgan. The single was recorded and mixed by Mark Nevers and produced by Ryan Olson.

The album consists of twelve tracks and was recorded over seven days. Wagner wanted to present the songs with just banjo, vocals, and choir, and Broder also contributed to the songwriting. Discussing the inspiration behind the album's concept, Wagner explains: "In early 2024, I heard a song on the radio on my way to get some gas. Just a minimal, single chord strummed on a banjo and a small group of voices. It seemed perfect in the moment, as the moment became perfect in itself. I never found out who it was. Sounded kinda like early country gospel.

"In a time of searching, I discovered a type of gospel singing known as lined-out singing, which is said to have begun in the late 1800s in Scotland. It migrated to Appalachia and became an obscure root of American gospel and country. A spontaneous call-and-response type of a cappella singing, led by a clerk with a chorus of singers, revealed the raw beauty and power of the human voice with its unique varieties. Its unadorned simplicity gave weight to the words as they were sung. I wanted to make a record that emulated this kind of music. Let’s just say I tried for simple, restrained vocabulary to get closer to a modest amount of truth through a guise of hyper-naturalism, grief, love, and humor."

Punching The Clown artwork

Punching The Clown tracklist

"Just West Of Nicollet"
"A Doctor In The House"
"Weakened"
"Stella"
"Punching The Clown"
"White People"
"The New World Wave"
"Andrew Jackson Asshat"
"Afterburner"
"Cigar"
"To Do"
"No Chicago"