2024 is proving to be a landmark year for MJ Lenderman. He first made headlines ahead of Waxahatchee’s spring release, Tiger Blood, guest starring alongside Katie Crutchfield on the lead single and excellent heartbreaker, “Right Back To It.” In that same vein, the lead single off his new LP, “She’s Leaving You,” continues to trace devastating fault lines in relationships that crumble around the protagonists. Lenderman’s languid vocals strain against wiry guitars as he wrenches out the single’s eponymous hard truths. 

Lenderman doesn’t stop at the album’s singles. Steeped in ‘90s influences as he is, Manning Fireworks emerges as a fully-formed LP to be enjoyed from start to finish, in that order (culminating on the 10-minute, meandering album closer, “Bark at the Moon.”). 

Call it alt-country, call it Chapel Hill slacker rock, call it indie histrionics — Lenderman’s songwriting wraps around you like a busted, old woollen sweater. Manning Fireworks is replete with flawed characters, an unrelenting ennui, and extended bouts of longing, all held tightly by Lenderman’s understated arrangements. 

This LP feels like Lenderman at his most direct, but every now and then, his trademark, self-deprecating sense of humour disarms the tension, as Lenderman returns to wearing his well-worn mask. He’s more confident on Manning Fireworks, more eager to sing-speak from the heart and face the darkness head-on. Without a doubt, he’s one of the best young indie rock songwriters making music today.