Lambchop Details New Album ‘Punching The Clown’ & Shares Single Featuring Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon

Lambchop will issue a new album, Punching The Clown, on August 21 through Merge Records. The project led by Kurt Wagner shared the lead single, “Weakened,” with contributions from a choir and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon on banjo.

Vernon and the six-piece choir appear throughout Punching The Clown, which was cut at Vernon’s April Base studio in Wisconsin with producer Ryan Olson (Poliça, Gayngs) at the helm. Wagner and Lambchop’s Andrew Broder wrote the 12 tracks on Punching The Clown, an intriguing mix of voice, banjo and other acoustic instruments.

Kurt Wagner detailed the inspiration behind the new Lambchop album:

“in early 2024 i heard a song on the radio on my way to get some gas. just a minimal single chord strummed 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, country.… a spontaneous call and response type of acapella singing led by a clerk with a chorus of singers revealing 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.”

Percussion is also absent from Punching The Clown save for lead single “Weakened,” which contains castanets. On the track, Wagner stated: “People seem to really like this one!”

Listen to “Weakened” below:

Lambchop also announced their first shows in the U.S. since 2022. The run begins with a three-show engagement at Crooners Supper Club in Minneapolis shows on June 28, August 30 and September 27. Lambchop will also perform in Chicago and New York City before heading to Europe. Click below for ticket and routing info.