MJ Lenderman’s backstory is as compelling as his music. A basketball fanatic from North Carolina, he’s no Michael Jordan, but he is an MJ all his own. He’s Mark Jacob Lenderman, a kid raised by music-loving parents who took him to Bonnaroo as a baby. Guitar Hero and Jimi Hendrix changed his life, sparking an obsession with music that he’s been chasing ever since. He might have slipped under the radar at first, but no one is missing him now. After all, Lenderman was a 20-year-old guitarist, scooping ice cream in Asheville, North Carolina, and occasionally hitting the road for self-booked tours. But during the pandemic, things changed. The forced isolation gave him time - time to read, paint, and write. Nights were spent jamming with friends in a chaotic rental house, where off-the-cuff lyrics became 2021’s Ghost Of Your Guitar Solo. And then came 2022’s breakthrough, Boat Songs. That album caught people’s attention with its ragged charm, sports references, and rough-hewn guitar solos. Now fans were wondering what he’d do next.

The answer is Manning Fireworks. Recorded at Asheville’s Drop of Sun studio over several sessions, the album is Lenderman’s fourth but his first for ANTI-. It’s also quite an evolution for the singer-songwriter. Boat Songs put a spotlight on Lenderman, and instead of buckling under the pressure, he used it to explore deeper questions about his identity as a musician. Would he stay the witty cynic, or could he say something real about his place in the world? He chose the latter, and Manning Fireworks is the confirmation. The punchlines are still there, as are the ragged guitar solos, but there’s a new depth, a sincerity that peeks through. Lenderman’s lyrics have taken on the poetic clarity of William Carlos Williams and the striking imagery of Harry Crews.

The album opens with the title track, blending surreal imagery with sharp critiques of society. From the crass opportunism of "Rudolph" to the self-doubt and world-weariness of "Wristwatch," Lenderman offers an uncanny take on everyday anxieties. With songs like "She’s Leaving You," a sing-along anthem for anyone shortchanged by their parents, and "On My Knees," where he questions the meaning of fun in a cynical world, Lenderman captures the essence of existential angst. Even "You Don’t Know the Shape I’m In," a downbeat acoustic blues, carries a sense of contentment in its exploration of life’s big questions. In the album’s finale, "Bark At The Moon," Lenderman returns to his roots, playing air guitar in his childhood bedroom and howling like the beast in the Ozzy Osbourne classic. As his guitar dissolves into a roaring drone, it’s clear that MJ Lenderman is still figuring out where his music can take him, just like in those late-night house jams that started it all.