Lambchop Announces New Album Featuring Justin Vernon, Releases New Single

Lambchop have announced new album Punching the Clown which features Bon Iver ‘s Justin Vernon on banjo as well as a six-part choir across the whole album. Produced by Ryan Olson, it’s out August 21 via Merge.

“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,” Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner says. “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.”

First single “Weakened” is out now, and Lambchop will be on tour this fall, including two nights at Brooklyn’s Public Records on October 1 & 2 . All dates are listed below.

Punching the Clown:

01 Just West of Nicollet

02 A Doctor in the House

03 Weakened

04 Stella

05 Punching the Clown

06 White People

07 The New World Wave

08 Andrew Jackson Ass Hat

09 Afterburner

10 Cigar

11 To Do

12 No Chicago

Lambchop – 2026 Tour Dates

Jun 28 Minneapolis, MN – Crooners Supper Club

Aug 30 Minneapolis, MN – Crooners Supper Club

Sep 27 Minneapolis, MN – Crooners Supper Club

Sep 29 Chicago, IL – Maurer Hall @ The Old Town School of Music

Oct 01 Brooklyn, NY – Public Records

Oct 02 Brooklyn, NY – Public Records

Nov 18 Viseu, PT – Teatro Viriato

Nov 19 Lisbon, PT – Culturgest

Nov 21 Braga, PT – Theatro Circo

Nov 22 Espinho, PT – Auditório de Espinho

Nov 24 Manchester, UK – New Century Hall

Nov 25 Sheffield, UK – Octagon

Nov 26 Gateshead, UK – Sage 2

Nov 27 London, UK – Union Chapel

Nov 28 London, UK – Union Chapel

Dec 01 Dudelange, LU – Opderschmelz

Dec 02 Antwerp, BE – Arenberg

Dec 03 Roeselare, BE – De Spil

Feb 07 Oslo, NO – Konserthus

Feb 09 Trondheim, NO – Byscenen

Feb 11 Copenhagen, DK – DR Koncerthuset

Feb 12 Hamburg, DE – Christianskirche

Feb 13 Berlin, DE – Passionkirche

Feb 14 Erlangen, DE – Markgrafentheater

Feb 16 Vienna, AT – Theater Akzent

Feb 17 Budapest, HU – House Of Music

Feb 19 Glasgow, UK – St Lukes

Feb 20 Galway, IE – St Nicholas’ Church

Feb 21 Dublin, IE – The Helix

_Originally reported by [Brooklyn Vegan](https://www.brooklynvegan.com/lambchop-announces-new-album-ft-justin-vernon-on-banjo-shares-weakened/)._