[2] The songs on Showtunes were initially meant to be performed live at Eaux Claire by Lambchop, with help from Twit One [de], Andrew Broder, and Ryan Olson.

After the festival was cancelled due to COVID-19, Wagner decided to finish these songs in studio.

[2] Showtunes was recorded remotely by Kurt Wagner, the only permanent member of Lambchop.

[3] It features as collaborators James McNew of Yo La Tengo, who contributed double bass;[2] CJ Camerieri, who contributed horns and horn arrangements;[4][2] Jeremy Ferguson, who acted as co-producer and engineer,[4] and Twit One, who co-wrote the track "Fuku".

[2] Three singles were released in advance of the album: "A Chef's Kiss", on March 16, 2021;[7] "Fuku", on April 12, 2021, along with an accompanying music video directed by Doug Anderson;[8] and "The Last Benedict", on May 18, 2021.