About two years ago, the Asheville, North Carolina band Wednesday released Rat Saw God. It was our favorite album of 2023, and it helped establish an entire universe of laid-back, twangy indie rockers. Lots of things have happened with Wednesday since then. Karly Hartzman and MJ Lenderman, the couple at the center of the band, split up, and Lenderman found fame as a solo artist. Earlier this year, we learned that Lenderman will no longer tour with Wednesday, though he does play on their as-yet-unannounced upcoming album. On Wednesday, Wednesday returned with "Elderberry Wine," their first new song since Rat Saw God. Hours later, Wednesday played that song on Colbert, and MJ Lenderman was right there with them.
We don't know how many more times we'll get to see this version of Wednesday playing together. For all we know, it could've been the last time that Hartzman and Lenderman will share a stage, though it seems as though they've been cool with one another since the breakup. It's so weird that what appears to be Wednesday's first-ever televised performance would coincide with that bittersweet moment. You might be tempted to go into body-language interpreter mode watching the band's Colbert performance, like they were Fleetwood Mac or something. If that's the case, you will probably be disappointed. From what I can tell, the members of Wednesday still look like they're enjoying playing music together.
"Elderberry Wine" is more countrified and less fuzzed-out than most of Wednesday's past music, and it sounded great on Colbert. Karly Hartzman hit some great high-lonesome notes. MJ Lenderman did some laconic shredding and sang some backup harmonies. The performance was lovely, and as far as we can tell, everybody got along just fine. Watch it below.
