MJ Lenderman Announces New Album Manning Fireworks

We all knew this announcement was coming. After dropping two brilliant singles last year (“Knockin'” and “Rudolph”) and an incredible live album (And the Wind (Live and Loose!)), Wednesday guitarist and sports-referencing alt-country wizard MJ Lenderman’s next album is on the way. Manning Fireworks will arrive September 6 via Anti- Records, serving as the anticipated follow-up to his 2022 breakthrough Boat Songs.

Lenderman has already made a little bit of noise in 2024, having served as the lead guitarist (and occasional duet partner) on Waxahatchee‘s latest LP, Tigers Blood. But now, he’s in the spotlight fully on his own. Lead single “She’s Leaving You” is, as expected, as good as you could want it to be. It’s melodic and full of wit (“You can put your clothes back on, she’s leaving you” and “Go rent a Ferrari and sing the blues, believe that Clapton was the second-coming”), toeing the line between alt-country and ’90s rock you’d find in the Matador catalog. Lenderman’s bandmate and partner, Wednesday’s Karly Hartzman, provides harmonies (and sings the song’s title in a concluding finale atop a pulsing bassline) and, naturally, he rips into a pitched-up guitar solo that squeals and dissolves back into his vocal. “It falls apart, we all got work to do,” Lenderman sings.

Listen to “She’s Leaving You” and check out the Manning Fireworks album artwork and tracklist below.

Manning Fireworks Artwork:

Manning Fireworks Tracklist:
Manning Fireworks
Joker Lips
Rudolph
Wristwatch
She’s Leaving You
Rip Torn
You Don’t Know the Shape I’m In
On My Knees
Bark at the Moon