Wednesday guitarist MJ Lenderman is back with a new solo song called “Rudolph,” his first release since signing to the label ANTI-. Listen to the track below.
“Rudolph” stomps along with a heavy drum groove and melodic pedal steel before Lenderman takes off into a perfectly fuzzed-out guitar solo. “Rudolph waking up in the road/ Dew dripping off his red nose/ Blue and black tire track torn/ Through a beautiful doe,” goes the initial lyrics, but the heart of the song appears later, when the artist croons, “I wouldn’t be in the seminary if I could be with you.”
“‘Rudolph’ was the first song I wrote after the release of Boat Songs,” Lenderman recalled in a statement. “I had been sitting on the guitar part for a long time and slowly worked out the song whenever I could in between tours in 2022. I finished the lyrics with my friend one late night after a Wednesday gig in Atlanta.”
Lenderman has a run of tour dates coming up this summer in support of Boat Songs, one of the best albums of 2022. In addition to headlining shows in Nashville, Los Angeles, and more, the artist will perform at Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago and Nelsonville Music Festival in Nelsonville, Ohio. See his full list of gigs below.
MJ Lenderman 2023 Tour Dates:
07/19 — Nashville, TN @ The Basement East
07/20 — Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop Bar
07/21 — Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
07/22 — Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival
07/23 — Nelsonville, OH @ Nelsonville Music Festival
08/04 — Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon
08/08 — Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy + Harriet’s
08/10 — Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
08/25 — Port Townsend, WA @ Thing Fest
09/23-24 – Accord, NY @ Woodsist Festival
