Wristwatch

"Wristwatch" presents a droll sketch of a boastful character who loves to flaunt his wealth, including a Buffalo beach home, a houseboat and an expensive wristwatch. At first, the boasts are comical. Who doesn't love a good yarn about someone whose possessions seem to be the glue holding their fragile ego together? But as the song unfolds, MJ Lenderman turns the screws, peeling back layers to reveal the character's aching loneliness: A wristwatch that's A compass and a cell phone And a wristwatch that Tells me you're all alone By the time Lenderman drops that final line, what started as a lighthearted jab morphs into something surprisingly tender: a brief yet impactful character study wrapped around the tech-laden hubris of a man trying (and failing) to buy his way into happiness.

The inspiration for this satirical track, Lenderman told The New York Times, was Andrew Tate, the self-proclaimed "alpha male" whose unabashed bravado and dubious advice for aspiring macho men inspired him to write about the absurdity of modern masculinity. "People spend thousands of dollars thinking they can learn how to be the 'perfect man' or something," Lenderman remarked. "It's embarrassing."

During a concert on October 14, 2023 at The Grey Eagle in his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina, Lenderman introduced this song by saying: "This one's about the Apple Watch."