MJ Lenderman Covers Lambchop's "Weakened" Ahead of New EP

MJ Lenderman has recorded his own version of "Weakened," a song by the band Lambchop. Pitchfork published the recording on 27 October, and it is the opening track on Lambchop's upcoming EP, "Demoed."

Lambchop is the project of Kurt Wagner. The original "Weakened" was shared in May as the first single from the band's album "Punching the Clown." Justin Vernon plays banjo across that album, and Wagner and Andrew Broder wrote the song together, according to Stereogum.

Lenderman's version is a cover, meaning a new recording of a song first made by someone else. He sings and plays bass and guitar on it, alongside Broder, who is also a member of the band Fog. The track is listed on "Demoed" as "Weakened (MJ Lenderman version)."

An EP, short for extended play, is a release longer than a single but shorter than a full album. "Demoed" is made up of demo covers, which are early or stripped-back recordings, of songs from "Punching the Clown." Uncut reports that the EP also includes performances by Alan Sparhawk and Circuit des Yeux.

Lambchop's label has set two release dates for the set. "Demoed" arrives digitally on 20 November, for downloads and streaming, and on physical formats on 5 February.

For listeners, the cover offers a different way into a song they may already know. Lenderman's take is the first thing on the record, so anyone who clicks through to the Pitchfork piece this week will hear it before the EP's release date. The digital release is less than four weeks away.