After releasing the last full-fledged Lambchop album, 2019’s This (is what I wanted to tell you), Kurt Wagner didn’t stand still long. Rather than plan an extensive tour — which, you know, would’ve gotten cancelled anyway — he invited the band to Nashville to record a collection of covers. That became Trip, released towards the end of last year. Well, it turns out Wagner wasn’t sitting still for very long after that, either. There’s a new Lambchop album on its way into the world already. It’s called Showtunes, and it’s out in May.

While Trip was all about Lambchop as a group, Showtunes seems more like Wagner’s quarantine album. He made it alone, with contributions from friends afar. He traded ideas back and forth with Gayngs/Poliça’s Ryan Olson, Yo La Tengo’s James McNew, producer/engineer Jeremy Ferguson, and Cologne DJ Twit One. Here’s what Wagner had to say about the writing and recording process:

In hindsight, it made perfect sense. The original idea behind Lambchop was: anyone could be part of Lambchop (so long as they behaved themselves). This revolving-door policy is how the band has grown and contracted through our many years.

One of the things that holds Lambchop together, what binds us, is that we are friends with similar likes and an appreciation and respect for what each other does. It’s what has kept this band evolving through time. With this approach, the group has just gotten larger with its members free to come and go, to be a part of the music as the songs and their interest might allow. Just like in the beginning.

Along with the announcement, Lambchop have shared a new song called “A Chef’s Kiss,” which Wagner describes as “a reflection on the temporal nature of life and ultimately of song itself. A ‘chef’s kiss’ being a gesture toward something perfected or well done, even loved.” Check it out below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “A Chef’s Kiss”
02 “Drop C”
03 “Papa Was A Rolling Stone Journalist”
04 “Fuku”
05 “Unknown Man”
06 “Blue Leo”
07 “Impossible Meatballs”
08 “The Last Benedict”

Showtunes is out 5/21 via Merge. Pre-order it here.