Last night, Wednesday made their television debut performing their new song “Elderberry Wine” on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. The Asheville, North Carolina, indie-rock band played in front of a mock living room setup cast on the walls, complete with their new single artwork in a frame, flowery wallpaper, wall sconces, and low-lit lamps. Watch a replay below.
The core Wednesday lineup of singer-guitarist Karly Hartzman, guitarist and vocalist MJ Lenderman, pedal steel player Xandy Chelmis, bassist Ethan Baechtold, and drummer Alan Miller were all there on the late-night stage. However, Lenderman recently revealed that while he remains a member of Wednesday in the recording studio, he will no longer tour with the band. His most recent solo album, Manning Fireworks, came out last fall.
“Elderberry Wine” is the first new music from Wednesday following their 2023 album Rat Saw God. According to Hartzman, it’s a love song about “creating just the right environment for fulfillment” because there’s “a delicate balance that needs to be created, especially in love, for two lives to intersect without poisoning each other.”
Technically, both Lenderman and Hartzman already made their late-night TV debut last September when they played “Wristwatch,” the MJ Lenderman & the Wind hit, on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Revisit the interview “Wednesday’s Curdled Beauty” and read about Rat Saw God at No. 32 in “The 100 Best Albums of the 2020s So Far.” Plus, check out Walden Green’s new track review of “Elderberry Wine.”
