| Boat Songs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 29, 2022 | |||
| Studio | Drop of Sun, Asheville, North Carolina | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 33:40 | |||
| Label | Dear Life | |||
| Producer | MJ Lenderman | |||
| MJ Lenderman chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from 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. [3] The album was listed on several publications' lists of the best albums of 2022.
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. [4] 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. [5]
On April 29, 2022, Boat Songs was released on Dear Life Records via Bandcamp in digital form, CD, vinyl, and cassette. [3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Pitchfork | 8.3/10 [6] |
| Uncut |   [7] |
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." [6] 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. [8] 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. [7]
| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| The A.V. Club | Here Are the 30 Best Albums of 2022 | 27 | [9] |
| The Alternative | The Alternative's Top 50 Albums of 2022 | 4 | [10] |
| The Bitter Southerner | The Best Southern Albums of 2022 | 9 | [11] |
| Consequence | Top 50 Albums of 2022 | 49 | [12] |
| Paste | The 50 Best Albums of 2022 | 10 | [13] |
| Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2022 | 35 | [14] |
| The Ringer | The 33 Best Albums of 2022 | 12 | [15] |
| Rolling Stone | The 100 Best Albums of 2022 | 98 | [16] |
| Stereogum | The 50 Best Albums of 2022 | 11 | [17] |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hangover Game" | MJ Lenderman | 2:16 |
| 2. | "You Have Bought Yourself a Boat" | Lenderman | 2:51 |
| 3. | "TLC Cage Match" | Lenderman | 3:52 |
| 4. | "Toontown" | Lenderman, Andrew James | 3:56 |
| 5. | "SUV" | Lenderman | 1:57 |
| 6. | "Under Control" | Lenderman | 2:19 |
| 7. | "Dan Marino" | Lenderman | 2:15 |
| 8. | "You Are Every Girl to Me" | Lenderman | 3:50 |
| 9. | "Tastes Just Like It Costs" | Lenderman | 3:47 |
| 10. | "Six Flags" | Lenderman | 6:36 |
| Total length: | 33:40 | ||
Credits adapted from the album's Bandcamp release page. [3]
Stereogum is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.
Apocalypse is a studio album by Bill Callahan, released on April 5, 2011. It is the third studio album released under his own name, and fourteenth overall when including LPs released as Smog.
Nicole Ann Bell, known professionally as Nicole Dollanganger, is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter. Dollanganger's music is characterized by a feminine, high-pitched vocal style, minimalist instrumentation, and lyrical themes frequently pertaining to true crime, violence, sexuality, and romance. Her music has been described as "lo-fi", "atmospheric", and "bedroom folk", and is associated with the folk, folk pop, bedroom pop, slowcore and dream pop genres.
Samuel Thompson Herring, also known as Hemlock Ernst, is an American singer, rapper and actor based in Baltimore, Maryland. He is best known as the frontman of the synth-pop band Future Islands, with whom he has recorded seven studio albums. He has also previously been a member of Art Lord & the Self-Portraits, The Snails, and Trouble Knows Me.
Travis Miller, best known professionally as Lil Ugly Mane, is an American musician, rapper, singer, and record producer. Noted for his diverse style, introspective lyrics, and various side projects, Miller's work spans a wide range of genres, including instrumental and experimental hip hop, black metal, lo-fi music, indie rock, and free jazz. He has also produced under the alias Shawn Kemp, and has recorded under the names Bedwetter and Vudmurk.
Out in the Storm is the fourth studio album by Katie Crutchfield's band Waxahatchee, released on July 14, 2017 through Merge. It features her sister Allison Crutchfield on keyboards and percussion, as well as Katie Harkin, Katherine Simonetti, and Ashley Arnwine. Dinosaur Jr./Sonic Youth producer John Agnello recorded the album live. The album was released digitally, on vinyl and compact disc.
Paraffin is the third studio album by American hip hop group Armand Hammer. It was released via Backwoodz Studioz in 2018. Originally released on vinyl only, the album was later released digitally, on cassette, and on CD.
Hiding Places is a collaborative studio album by Brooklyn rapper Billy Woods and Los Angeles record producer Kenny Segal. It was released by Backwoodz Studioz on March 29, 2019. It features guest appearances from Mothermary, Elucid, and Self Jupiter. The album cover is a photograph of the William Livingstone House in Detroit.
Half Waif is the stage name of American musician Ananda Rose "Nandi" Plunkett.
Shannon Lay is an American folk and punk musician. She has released four solo albums and was a member of the band Feels.
Black Dresses was a Canadian noise pop duo consisting of Ada Rook and Devi McCallion, formed in 2017. Their debut album, Wasteisolation, was released independently in 2018. The duo released three additional albums, Thank You (2019), Love and Affection for Stupid Little Bitches (2019), and Peaceful as Hell (2020), before breaking up in 2020 in response to harassment received by McCallion. Despite maintaining their declaration of disbandment in 2020, Black Dresses released three additional albums, Forever in Your Heart (2021), Forget Your Own Face (2022), and Laughingfish (2024). Upon releasing Laughingfish, the band announced that it would be their final album.
Will Kraus, known mononymously as Kraus, is an American shoegaze musician. In 2021, Carly Wu of Far Out Magazine elected his second studio album Path as the 18th best shoegaze album of all time.
Twin Plagues is the third studio album by American quintet Wednesday, released by Orindal Records in August 2021.
Wednesday is an American alternative rock band from Asheville, North Carolina, currently signed to Dead Oceans. The band consists of vocalist Karly Hartzman, guitarist MJ Lenderman, lap steel player Xandy Chelmis, drummer Alan Miller and bassist Ethan Baechtold. The band's style has been described as a mixture of shoegaze and country rock, while their lyrical content has been praised for its storytelling about life in the American south.
Path is the second studio album by American musician Kraus, released on March 9, 2018, through Terrible Records. Preceded by singles "Reach" and "Bum", Path follows Kraus's debut End Tomorrow on the same label. A shoegaze album, reviewers noted the album's influence from 1990s alternative rock, evoking a vibe akin to My Bloody Valentine. Path was described as "intriguing" by Pitchfork and "gorgeous" by Revolver. In 2019, Far Out Magazine considered it the 18th best shoegaze album of all time.
God Save the Animals is the ninth studio album by American musician Alex G, released on September 23, 2022, by Domino Recording Company. It was produced by Alex G and Jacob Portrait and recorded at various studios in Philadelphia and the northeast United States. It was promoted by four singles including "Blessing" and "Runner". It received acclaim from critics, appearing on various lists of 2022's best albums, and charted on the US Billboard 200 as well as in New Zealand and Scotland.
Rat Saw God is the fifth studio album by American rock band Wednesday, released by Dead Oceans on April 7, 2023. It was preceded by the singles "Bull Believer" and "Chosen to Deserve". The album received high praise from critics, praising it as 'stunningly powerful" and "riveting". It was noted by critics for its depiction of life in the American South.
Mark Jacob Lenderman, also known as Jake Lenderman and MJ Lenderman, is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has released three solo albums, and also plays with the alternative rock band Wednesday. He also has played drums for Indigo De Souza. Lenderman's style has been described as alt-country, classic rock, and indie rock music.
Manning Fireworks is the fourth solo album by American musician MJ Lenderman. The album was released on September 6, 2024, through Anti- and Epitaph Records. Produced by Lenderman and Alex Farrar, the album features contributions from Lenderman's Wednesday bandmates Karly Hartzman, Xandy Chelmis and Ethan Baechtold
"Right Back to It" is a song by American indie rock singer-songwriter Waxahatchee. It was released on January 9, 2024, as the lead single from her sixth studio album Tigers Blood. The song features guest vocals from MJ Lenderman.
