By – Jason Hamric

Recommended if you like Wednesday, Outlaw Country, Great Lyrics

Sometimes an artist comes along who seems to be carrying the weight of their generation on their shoulders while reluctantly having to be the spokesperson at the same time, and MJ Lenderman feels like one of those people. On his latest album ‘Manning Fireworks’, Lenderman taps into the kind of raw honesty you just don’t get enough of these days. There’s a rugged authenticity to his words, as though he’s lived a lot of years before ever writing a single word or picking up his guitar.  The lyrics feel like a slap from the past, each line reminds you of the kind of storytelling that made Willie, Waylon, and George household names.  There’s even a little early Jackson Browne in there.

But don’t let me take anything away from Lenderman, his style is uniquely his! Sure, you could trace some of his lines back to the greats, but it’s his knack for bringing a new spin to the age-old subjects of heartbreak, loss, and existential dread that makes ‘Manning Fireworks’ an incredible album. There’s something so painfully human in these songs, like a man who’s seen way too much way too young. His words carry a wisdom that can’t be faked, and it’s a breath of fresh air in a musical landscape that too often feels shallow or overly polished.

I personally first found Lenderman through ‘Wednesday’, the band he’s in with his partner Karley, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried that his solo success might pull him away from that project. The chemistry between them is something special, and I wasn’t ready to see it fade. But after listening to ‘Manning Fireworks’, it’s clear there’s plenty of room for both. And frankly, we need both. Lenderman’s solo work and ‘Wednesday’ serve different yet equally important roles in today’s music scene.

The songs on ‘Manning Fireworks’ walk a delicate line between a warm blanket and melancholia, a dance between the light and dark that so many great outlaw country records mastered before him. But what sets Lenderman apart is the sheer weight of the emotions he’s grappling with, particularly on standout tracks like “Joker Lips” and “Wristwatch.” These songs hit like gut punches—raw, beautiful, and endlessly replayable. “She’s Leaving You” might be one of his finest moments yet, a song that lingers long after it ends, with lyrics that feel pulled straight from the heart of someone who’s loved hard and lost harder. And “On My Knees”—man, that one just floors you. It’s as if Lenderman’s been collecting life experiences and heartache like scars, only to lay them out in the most vulnerable way possible.  The last song on the album “Bark at The Moon” is the perfect closer giving you an amazing 6+ minutes of ambient noise and feedback after the 3.5 minute beauty that slowly brings you back into reality.

As a fan of 90s indie music and the old outlaw country legends, I can say that Lenderman’s blend of gritty storytelling and haunting melodies is exactly what the world needs right now. To me, ‘Manning Fireworks’ is just another step in becoming one of the all-time greats.

OUT NOW ON ANTI- RECORDS (ONE OF OUR FAVES) AND AVAILABLE NOW AT SEASICK RECORDS