Lambchop – “The December-ish You”

Lambchop recently announced their latest album This (Is What I Wanted To Tell You) and released the first single “The December-ish You” as a preview of what to expect. The album is due March 22nd, 2019 and is, by and large, a collaboration between frontman Kurt Wagner and Matthew McCaughan (of Bon Iver and Hiss Golden Messenger). Wagner’s output being fueled by collaboration is par for the course given his previous output fueled by insights form the likes of William Tyler or Ryan Norris (Coupler). On the latest collaboration, the official press statement says:

“They became instant musical pen pals, with Wagner sending him a cappella takes of new song ideas and McCaughan dispatching long-form synthesizer pieces for inspiration. McCaughan eventually headed to Nashville, where, together, they put a band behind the songs, using pedal steel and piano and the harmonica of Nashville legend Charlie McCoy to color in the spaces of these black-and-white sketches.”

The lead single gives hints of that sound, with pedal steel and piano flourishes emerging from the soundscape of programmed beats and altered vocal lines. The jury is still out on what the full record will sound like but, based on this one peek, it’s a sensible progression from the previous full-length FLOTUS and the work done in HeCTA.