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Showtunes is the fifteenth studio album by American rock band Lambchop. It was released on May 21, 2021,[1] on Merge Records in the United States and on City Slang elsewhere.[2]

Showtunes
Studio album by Lambchop
Released	May 21, 2021 (2021-05-21)
Length	31:06
Label	Merge City Slang
Producer	Jeremy Ferguson
Lambchop chronology
Trip (2020) Showtunes (2021)
Singles from Showtunes
"A Chef's Kiss" Released: March 16, 2021 "Fuku" Released: April 12, 2021 "The Last Benedict" Released: May 18, 2021

Background

The songs on Showtunes were initially meant to be performed live at Eaux Claire by Lambchop, with help from Twit One [de], Andrew Broder, and Ryan Olson. After the festival was cancelled due to COVID-19, Wagner decided to finish these songs in studio.[2]

Showtunes was recorded remotely by Kurt Wagner, the only permanent member of Lambchop.[3] It features as collaborators James McNew of Yo La Tengo, who contributed double bass;[2] CJ Camerieri, who contributed horns and horn arrangements;[4][2] Jeremy Ferguson, who acted as co-producer and engineer,[4] and Twit One, who co-wrote the track "Fuku".[5]

Unlike Lambchop's previous work, on which Wagner played guitar, Showtunes features Wagner's guitar tracks converted into MIDI piano.[6] Showtunes takes inspiration from musical theatre, hence the name; Wagner called it "show tunes for people who don't like show tunes".[2]

Three singles were released in advance of the album: "A Chef's Kiss", on March 16, 2021;[7] "Fuku", on April 12, 2021, along with an accompanying music video directed by Doug Anderson;[8] and "The Last Benedict", on May 18, 2021.[9]

Critical Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.7/10[10]
Metacritic	79/100[11]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[12]
The Arts Desk	[13]
Beats Per Minute	78%[14]
God Is in the TV	10/10[15]
Loud and Quiet	9/10[16]
musicOMH	[17]
Mojo	[11]
The Observer	[18]
Pitchfork	7.4/10[19]
PopMatters	7/10[20]
Spectrum Culture	80%[21]
Under the Radar	[22]
Uncut	8/10[11]

The album was released to positive reviews from music critics, garnering a score of 79 out of 100 on the review aggregator website Metacritic based on nine reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews",[11] and a score of 7.7/10 from review aggregator website AnyDecentMusic? based on 10 reviews.[10]

Track listing

Charts

Chart performance for Showtunes

Chart (2021)	Peak position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[23]	75
Scottish Albums (OCC)[24]	24
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[25]	8

References

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