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Pixar, Catholic shame, and urine-drinking podcast bros: the mixed-up rock of MJ Lenderman
Known for turns with hit US indie acts Wednesday and Waxahatchee, the singer-guitarist explains how his songs – full of sad sacks and losers – get to the heart of masculinity
The world of Manning Fireworks, the fourth album by North Carolina-based guitarist and songwriter MJ Lenderman, is largely populated by sad sacks and losers: men of all stripes whose common features include drinking to excess, an inability to commit and, in general, a tendency to let down every woman they come into contact with. Inspired by artists like the Coen Brothers, director Todd Solondz and famed writer Harry Crews – all of whom make their best work when exploring the depths of human misery – Lenderman’s songs are often bitterly funny or abrasively poignant. Musically, Manning Fireworks draws lines between the driving powerpop of Teenage Fanclub, the yearning hooks of REM and the muscular country-rock of Drive-By Truckers – all very 90s references – and Lenderman says he wants to subtly update that universe for the 2020s.
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