Boat Songs

Boat Songs is the third solo album by American musician MJ Lenderman. It was released on April 29, 2022, by Dear Life Records.[1] The album was listed on several publications' lists of the best albums of 2022.

Boat Songs
Studio album by
MJ Lenderman
ReleasedApril 29, 2022 (2022-04-29)
StudioDrop of Sun, Asheville, North Carolina
Genre
Length33:40
LabelDear Life Records
ProducerMJ Lenderman
Singles from Boat Songs
  1. "Hangover Game"
    Released: 2022
  2. "TLC Cage Match"
    Released: 2022

Release

On January 25, 2022, Stereogum managing editor Chris DeVille announced the release date of the album alongside the music video for "Hangover Game," comparing the album to Jason Molina, Uncle Tupelo, and Pinegrove.[2] In March, Stereogum senior editor Tom Breihan posted the music video for second single "TLC Cage Match." The song is named after the tables, ladders, and chairs WWE match style, which it uses as a metaphor for self-destructive behavior.[3]

On April 29, 2022, Boat Songs was released on Dear Life Records via Bandcamp in digital form, CD, vinyl, and cassette.[1]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Pitchfork8.3/10[4]
Uncut[5]

Sasha Geffen at Pitchfork praised Lenderman's alt-country songwriting for its "disarming insights into the fray of living" delivered with fuzzy, lo-fi distortion, "loping, lackadaisical melodic phrasing," and "gentle, unhurried deadpan."[4] Dillon Riley, writing for Flood Magazine, characterized Lenderman's writing as economical, yet low-brow compared to the more literary writing of his Wednesday bandmate Karly Hartzman.[6] Uncut's Erin Osmon described Boat Songs with comparisons to John Prine, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, and Drive-By Truckers's Patterson Hood, praising Lenderman's "refreshing and thoroughly unpretentious perspective" that, by imbuing working-class signifiers with depth and importance, blurs the boundary between high and low art.[5]

Year-end lists
Publication List Rank Ref.
The A.V. Club Here Are the 30 Best Albums of 2022 27 [7]
The Alternative The Alternative's Top 50 Albums of 2022 4 [8]
The Bitter Southerner The Best Southern Albums of 2022 9 [9]
Consequence Top 50 Albums of 2022 49 [10]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2022 10 [11]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2022 35 [12]
The Ringer The 33 Best Albums of 2022 12 [13]
Rolling Stone The 100 Best Albums of 2022 98 [14]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2022 11 [15]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Hangover Game"MJ Lenderman2:16
2."You Have Bought Yourself a Boat"Lenderman2:51
3."TLC Cage Match"Lenderman3:52
4."Toontown"Lenderman, Andrew James3:56
5."SUV"Lenderman1:57
6."Under Control"Lenderman2:19
7."Dan Marino"Lenderman2:15
8."You Are Every Girl to Me"Lenderman3:50
9."Tastes Just Like It Costs"Lenderman3:47
10."Six Flags"Lenderman6:36
Total length:33:40

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's Bandcamp release page.[1]

  • Xandy Chelmis – pedal steel
  • Alex Farrar – guitar on "You Are Every Girl to Me", recording, mixing, production
  • Colin Miller – production, mastering, bass, keys, trumpet
  • Lewis Dahm – guitar on "You Are Every Girl to Me"
  • Andrew James – writing on "Toontown", album art
  • Jon Samuels – layout
  • MJ Lenderman – production, all other instruments and writing

References
  1. "Boat Songs". Bandcamp. 2022-04-29. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  2. DeVille, Chris (2022-01-25). "Wednesday's MJ Lenderman Announces New Album Boat Songs". Stereogum. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  3. Breihan, Tom (2022-03-16). "Wednesday's MJ Lenderman Shares New Solo Single "TLC Cage Match"". Stereogum. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  4. Geffen, Sasha (2022-05-07). "MJ Lenderman: Boat Songs Album Review". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  5. Osmon, Erin (2022-07-08). "MJ Lenderman - Boat Songs". Uncut. BandLab Technologies. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  6. Riley, Dillon (2022-04-29). "MJ Lenderman, Boat Songs". Flood Magazine. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  7. "Here Are the 30 Best Albums of 2022". The A.V. Club. 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  8. "The Alternative's Top 50 Albums of 2022 & Yearly Awards". The Alternative. 2022-12-20. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  9. "The Best Southern Albums of 2022". The Bitter Southerner. 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  10. "Top 50 Albums of 2022". Consequence. Consequence Media. 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  11. "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". Paste. 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  12. "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". Pitchfork. 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  13. "The 33 Best Albums of 2022". The Ringer. Spotify. 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  14. "The 100 Best Albums of 2022". Rolling Stone. Penske Media Corporation. 2022-12-01. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  15. "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". Stereogum. 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
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