Lambchop Punching The Clowen

Punching The Clowen sees Lambchop's Kurt Wagner return to the foundations of songwriting, delivering one of the most intimate, reflective and emotionally resonant albums of the band's remarkable career. The seventeenth Lambchop album was inspired by Wagner's discovery of "lined out singing" – a centuries-old Scots-Appalachian call-and-response tradition where a lone voice leads a congregation through hymns one phrase at a time.

That spirit of communal expression and unadorned human voice runs throughout Punching The Clowen. After years spent studying the craft of songwriting and refining dozens of compositions, Wagner distilled the project down to twelve carefully selected songs that balance grace, humour and quiet emotional power.

Recorded over just three days at Justin Vernon's April Base studio in Wisconsin, the album features a remarkable cast of collaborators including Andrew Broder on guitar, Justin Vernon on banjo and a six-part vocal ensemble assembled by Blake Morgan. Additional choir recordings from London and Minneapolis further enhance the album's rich vocal textures, while production from Ryan Olson and engineering by longtime Lambchop collaborator Mark Nevers bring warmth and clarity to every performance.

Blending elements of Americana, folk, gospel and Lambchop's signature understated songwriting, Punching The Clowen is a deeply human and moving work that highlights Kurt Wagner's enduring ability to find beauty in simplicity. Pressed on vinyl LP, this release captures one of Lambchop's most compelling and heartfelt artistic statements to date.