MJ Lenderman is the project of Asheville native, Jake Lenderman, whose 'Boat Songs' was released to wide acclaim on Dear Life Records in 2022. Now Dear Life is proud to offer a vinyl reissue of MJ's 2021 label debut, ‘Ghost of Your Guitar Solo,’ a collection of nine songs recorded and performed entirely by Lenderman, and one live band track. The record was written and recorded quickly, songs often being fully constructed and recorded within frenzied single day sessions. Songs were born out of freewheeling jam sessions with his roommates, with Lenderman often freestyling lyrics that would later become the foundations of the finished songs. Lenderman would write 20 disconnected lines a day, scrapping most of them but preserving a few to be used later. This process aided in what became an extremely prolific writing period for the artist in the spring of 2020. The record sounds like country music being played by a noisy punk band, unkempt and imperfect like the characters in his songs. Here, Lenderman broadened his lyrical scope beyond solemn introspection, adding humor to scenes larger than his own life. He points to authors Harry Crews and Larry Brown as inspirations, both of whom were southern, self-taught writers who balanced empathy, humor, and darkness. This leads to the erosion of the line that separates humor and sadness. The resulting songs are about over-indulgence and drug/alcohol abuse, full of self-loathing and pity while celebrating the absurdity of it all.
Release date:
June 23, 2023
Label:
Install our app to receive notifications when new upcoming releases are added.

Recommended equipment and accessories
-
Cartridges - Top Picks
A selection of turnatble cartridges that provide great performance and sound quality
-
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO
Featuring a one-piece carbon fiber tonearm, precision-tuned motor, and a heavy steel platter with TPE damping, it ensures superior stability and sound quality.
-
Ortofon 2M Blue Premounted
Mounted on the SH-4 Black Headshell, this setup delivers exceptional clarity, dynamic range, and accurate sound reproduction.
-
Turntables - Top Picks
A selection of reliable record players you can buy today, for every budget
-
Technics SL-1500C Turntable
Features a direct-drive motor, a high-precision tonearm, and a premium MM cartridge, delivering exceptional sound quality
Featured Upcoming Vinyl
-
Waltari Nations' Neurosis (Orange)
Metalville
June 13, 2025 -
Helldrifter Shell of Inexsistence
Violent Creek Recs
June 13, 2025 -
Rival Consoles Landscape from Memory [2xLP]
Erased Tapes
July 4, 2025 -
WITCH Sogolo (Random Eco-Mix Color)
Partisan Records
June 13, 2025 -
Buscabulla Se Amaba Así (Clear)
Domino Record Co
September 12, 2025 -
Sea Fever Surface Sound
Universal UK
June 6, 2025 -
Bacon Wagon Trauma Cake
Reptilian Records
June 6, 2025 -
Half Japanese Adventure (Cream)
Fire Records
July 11, 2025 -
Raphael Wressnig Committed
Zyx Music
June 6, 2025 -
Elijah Johnston Stupid Soul (Signed; Green)
Strolling Bones Records
June 20, 2025 -
Ruth Lyon Poems & Non-Fiction (Pink)
Pink Lane
June 20, 2025 -
Yoshika Colwell On the Wing
Blue Flowers
July 25, 2025 -
Billy Joel The Nylon Curtain
Legacy Recordings
July 11, 2025 -
Five Hundred Bucks Pest Sounds
Creep Records
June 20, 2025