"The Bible": Lambchop's new studio album

Despite being in the midst of one of the most prolific periods of his career - releasing four albums and one EP between 2016 and 2021 - Kurt Wagner was questioning things. “What the fuck am I doing?” he asked himself last year, momentarily trapped in a period of despair, before getting back to work and making another album.

The resulting record is one steeped in reflection. With the backdrop of Wagner acting as primary caregiver for his father, along with his own uneasiness around life and ageing, mortality naturally seeped into his consciousness and an album exploring the essence of life, self and spirituality - in a non-religious manner, that is - floated out.

Lead single “Police Dog Blues” is a beautiful encapsulation of a journey; a vast amalgamation of styles that takes in soaring soul, sprawling rock, subtle jazz, buoyant funk and that distinctive Lambchop quality that comes from the simple but potent combination of Wagner’s low-hum honeyed vocals with delicate piano (here provided by Andrew Broder). It captures the tone of an album that is rich in ambition, scope and innovation, and for which genre categorization feels utterly futile.

“Little Black Books” is as close to dance music as Lambchop has ever been. It’s a track that glides from futuristic electronic funk to snapping beats coupled with melodic stabs of piano and wobbly Auto-Tune. It’s a bold and expansive song that feels emblematic of where Wagner is as an artist: making ceaselessly unpredictable music. Perhaps this track’s closest musical relationship is to be found with contemporary hip-hop as it increasingly embraces more dance-leaning elements.

These endless twists and turns that Wagner keeps making musically - that in many ways have come to define Lambchop’s late career - may feel disorientating for some early-day adopters used to that more classically Americana sound. However, despite being born from a period of deep questioning and self-reflection, The Bible doesn’t feel like a confused or lost musician chasing the Zeitgeist or wandering aimlessly. Instead, it’s the work of a focused artist who is consistently attempting to stretch out the parameters of their own ever-expanding sonic world.