MJ Lenderman, Lauren Auder, More Eaze and more feature on new Lambchop EP, Demoed

Demoed will be released digitally in November, with a physical release following on 5 February via City Slang / Merge. Punching the Clown, released back in August, is Lambchop's seventeenth album and their first full-length release since 2022's The Bible. "Weakened", reimagined by MJ Lenderman, arrives as the first preview of the EP, which also features Circuit des Yeux, Alan Sparhawk, Channy Leaneagh, Dan Wriggins, Lauren Auder, Flock of Dimes and More Eaze.

Introducing the EP, singer-songwriter Kurt Wagner explains the concept through an anecdote about not knowing what Herman Melville looked like until high school. “I just saw a picture in lit class and that was about it, nice beard," he recalls. "Prior to that what Herman looked like was really not essential to my understanding or enjoyment of Moby Dick. It was distracting at best. I thought the work was the important thing. I mean, I still don’t know what Renoir looked like but I bet he had a great beard. Great painter."

"I used to fantasize that Lambchop would continue as an idea well beyond my participation," he continues. Over time we’ve had at least two generations represented. A third now is beginning. And this is important to me, having the unique perspective and contributions from younger artists steering in the work we make. So i thought it would be nice, someday, that i might even step aside to watch and advise from the wings. Having a beard was never considered, but here we are.

"This is to say that my idea of moving forward — aging with dignity — involves my disappearing from the notion of being the 'dude,' the ego, entity, personality, figurehead, selfie guy, brand image. Who I am physically and how I appear becomes irrelevant. Allowing the concept and work to be the focus. My participation isn’t really necessary in the final presentation. Song writing, “the song” implicitly allows for such a thing, or at least it did before pop culture insisted that it be part of the package. I mean, I get it, why that is and the way things are, but I've always felt it doesn’t have to be so and there’s centuries of precedents to back this up."

The idea came from co-writer Andrew Broder, who suggested asking artists they admired as both artist people and with unique voices to sing along to the initial guitar demos, replacing Wagner. "A remix but backwards," as Wagner puts it. They sent the demos along with the finished Punching the Clown album, asking the artists to keep it simple and not overthink it, in the spirit of what a demo might be.

"Looking at it now, it does seem like one of those tribute records that happen after an artist dies or needs to raise funds for an operation or medical treatment," Wagner says. "But I assure you, I am very much alive and all over what you hear here. Unlike cover versions of our songs, these are songs we made — I’m just not the singer. Jake, Haley, Alan, Channy, Dan, Lauren, Jenn, and Mari are.”

Demoed artwork

Demoed tracklist

"Weakened (MJ Lenderman version)"
"A Doctor in the House (Circuit des Yeux / Alan Sparhawk version)"
"Stella (Channy Leaneagh version)"
"White People (Dan Wriggins version)"
"The New World Wave (Lauren Auder version)"
"Afterburner (Flock of Dimes version)"
"Andrew Jackson Asshat (More Eaze version)"