“Wherever you find me, you’ll find me on my knees,” MJ Lenderman assuredly proclaims on Manning Fireworks’ (2024) penultimate track, declaring his submission to that which he resents. Resigned and angsty lyricism has always been a go-to of brooding, sad rock, and here it comes from a small-town North Carolinian who docks his boat in the local “Hippo Dome,” cleans semen off hotel shower curtains, watches birds fly into windows more than into better situations, and has had enough of the clergy. The jaunty, easygoing nature of the album gives a sense of relenting to what Lenderman’s life, though unpleasant, is. But the record’s sly charm and Southern suburban motifs create an inviting welcome to the daily frustrations of a repressed small towner.
Lenderman came to my attention in January as a featured artist on Waxahatchee’s “Right Back to It,” a duet which saw the two fall back into each other time and time again in a Texan bog and twang. The two artists’ harmonies on the chorus are dissonant and hauntingly beautiful, largely because of Lenderman’s work on the song. But Manning Fireworks heads in a different direction sonically, blending classic rock and country into a punk and indie rock record.
Lenderman repeatedly succumbs to the ubiquity of Christianity on the record. Although his attitude toward religion is consistently cynical and irreverent (“I wouldn’t be in the seminary if I could be with you” from “Rudolph” doesn’t give the ring of one who is enlivened by a religious education), he seldom protests. In the face of forces that crush his soul—Christianity, boredom, technology, fame, women, or the hypermasculinity of childhood icons—you’ll probably find Lenderman on his knees. But while he’s down there, he’s gonna rock out.
Lovers of music as scripture will find much to attach to in Lenderman’s ultra-specific memories. His lyricism floats between illustrating minute yet poignant moments found somewhere in a small town to larger aphoristic statements that frame his recollections. He sings “Everybody’s walking in twos leaving Noah’s ark / It’s a Sunday at the water park,” at the start of “You Don’t Know the Shape I’m In,” a late-album track finding Lenderman nostalgic and unsure. On “On My Knees,” the album’s best punk-pop banger, he sings, “And every day is a miracle / not to mention a threat of bees nests nestled in a hole in the yard / of Travolta’s bald head.”
In addition to Travolta (and his indeed ghastly bald head), Lenderman refers to other ’70s and ’80s stars, from Rip Torn of Men in Black (1997) to Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath. To Lenderman, these likely icons of his youth signify a particular, aggressive archetype of masculinity, the anachronistic nature of which he satirizes. From analyzing an ambiguous, biblically-inclined acquaintance on the title track (“Some have passion, some have purpose / You have sneakin’ backstage to hound the girls in the circus”) to life lessons learned in the seminary on “Rudolph” (“How many roads must a man walk down ’til he learns / He’s just a jerk who flirts with the clergy nurse ’til it burns”) Lenderman is overexposed to these old backwoods dudes who use the Bible to justify their misogyny.
However, Lenderman remains resigned to these outdated mentalities. In conversation with another unnamed character on “Rip Torn,” Lenderman recalls, “You said, ‘There’s men and then there’s movies / then there’s men and Men in Black.’” Referencing the titular actor again, the character distinguishes between idealized masculinity and reality. Lenderman refuses to engage with these distinctions, saying, “You said, ‘There’s milkshakes and there’s smoothies’ / You always lose me when you talk like that.” In his typically tongue-in-cheek fashion, Lenderman disengages with this challenge to the legitimacy of masculinity standards, seeming almost to fight against himself at the same time. It’s frustrating to watch Lenderman succumb to the old-fashioned ostracism of modern awarenesses, especially when he seems captive to the standards of masculinity his friend challenges. Yet, Lenderman doesn’t rise to challenge himself. He can be found on his knees, remember?
Even amidst serious conversation, Lenderman’s humor on just about every track is bitter and spot-on. “On My Knees” perfectly articulates drunk late-night thoughts when Lenderman queries, “Is it the quiet hiss of a midnight piss or a river turned to creek?” In “Bark at the Moon,” he sings “I’ve never seen the Mona Lisa. I’ve nevеr really left my room. I’ve been up too latе with Guitar Hero playing ‘Bark at The Moon.’”
While Manning Fireworks characterizes its lead singer and guitarist through its self-effacing tone, perhaps it leaves something to be desired for listeners in terms of connecting with the starlet. For sure, there are moments where Lenderman bares his vulnerable sides with less inhibition, especially in moments on “Joker Lips” and “She’s Leaving You.” But having even more chances to see Lenderman shed his cynical skin would afford listeners a peek into where he may grow were he to escape his confinement.
The pessimistic tone of the record carries into Lenderman’s reckoning with his growing fame. On “Rip Torn,” he sings “If you tap on the glass / the sharks might look at you / Damned if they don’t / and you’re damned if they do.” Though not previously known far beyond the overlapping worlds of indie and punk rock, Lenderman already can feel the encroaching danger of public perception.Whether Manning Fireworks will ascend Lenderman to a position of mainstream attention is yet to be seen. It’s still a relatively underground project, but 2024’s recent A-list pop stars all seem to have less successful releases under their belts before reaching a big break. Mainstream success or not, Lenderman’s record is a deep-dive into a small-town, bog-adjacent life from the perspective of someone who desires evolution but doesn’t seek it out. Despite attempts to rebuke the American countryside, he continually sees himself in the good ole white dudes, the Christians, the small town roads, and the “birds against a heavy wind that wins in the end”—the very first lines of the album. He will continue kneeling, continue relenting to the forces that be, while also being a rockstar, making music specific to his spot. Lenderman may not be moving forward, but he’s putting on a really good show.
