MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks

MJ Lenderman writes about small, sad men with a wink and a wince, and Manning Fireworks is the 2024 album where that gift came fully into focus.

Best known to many as a guitarist in Asheville band Wednesday, Lenderman recorded his fourth solo album at Drop of Sun Studios in his North Carolina hometown, producing it with Alex Farrar. Wednesday bandmates Karly Hartzman, Xandy Chelmis and Ethan Baechtold all pitch in, giving the record a warm, communal looseness. Released on Anti-, it became one of the most talked-about indie records of its year and introduced his dry, funny songwriting to a much wider audience.

The songs feel like short stories told from a barstool. "She's Leaving You" pairs a lumbering, Crazy Horse-style groove with a breakup scene viewed from the outside, while "Wristwatch" pokes deadpan fun at a guy with everything except self-awareness. "Joker Lips" is tender and rough around the edges, and the title track opens the record on a gentle, rueful note.

There is real heart beneath all the jokes, and the guitar playing is gloriously ragged in the best way. Manning Fireworks sounds like Southern indie rock with its boots muddy and its feelings worn plainly on its sleeve, and it wears repeat spins well.