I don’t care what the calendar says, September still feels like the start of a new year. And MJ Lenderman is our Artist to Watch ringing it in with his fifth album, Manning Fireworks, to be released this Friday.
MJ Lenderman began his career not as a guitarist, but as a drummer for Indigo De Souza, playing on I Love My Mom and Any Shape You Take. When Karly Hartzman’s solo project expanded into the five-piece Wednesday, Lenderman joined on guitar and toured with the group until the pandemic. Lockdown proved beneficial for the artist, who released Ghost of Your Guitar Solo in 2021 and his acclaimed LP Boat Songs in 2022. Now, he’s released singles like “She’s Leaving You” in the leadup to Manning Fireworks.
After staying relatively underground for a while, Lenderman’s latest is already making waves in the indie music scene and beyond. Maybe that’s because he’s an artist whose music feels more like an honest conversation between close friends, the kind that happens spontaneously at night somewhere nearly empty. Lenderman’s ability to personally reflect on the good, the bad, and the depressing is made complete by riffs and melodies that fit anytime, any place.
Manning Fireworks will be released September 6th via Anti- records. Pre-save or pre-order the album here. MJ Lenderman will be playing at Union Transfer on October 24th. Tickets and more information available on XPN’s Concert Calendar.