Every Monday, 88Nine music director Erin Wolf shares a sonic gem she found using her nearly 20 years of new-music exploration experience. You can hear all her discoveries at 2 p.m. every Sunday on What’s All This: Adventures in New Music.
North Carolina multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Mark Jacob (aka MJ) Lenderman just dropped a new single, “She’s Leaving You,” ahead of his newest project. And although the sentiment of the song title seems like it’s ripe for a good ol’ wallow, Lenderman shows he can deal with a “to heck with it” chorus of: “It falls apart / We all got work to do.”
Spending the last bit playing in the band Wednesday and guesting with Waxahatchee, Lenderman is ready to step into his own version of a spotlight created by distorted guitars, drawled, deadpan vocals and emotionally keen wit.
On this first-glance promise of a great album, Lenderman carries on the tradition of Son Volt and Jason Molina with a little Neil Young and Silver Jews flair kicked in. It all sounds fresh (though familiar) in the hands of a 25-year-old like Lenderman. Keeping it in the family, he enlists Wednesday bandmate Karly Hartzmann to lend her voice to “She’s Leaving You,” which feels like a great way to soothe the absence of waiting for the next Wednesday record, too.
Co-produced with Alex Farrar but played almost entirely by Lenderman, Manning Fireworks will be his first album for Anti- and fourth overall when it comes out Sept. 6. Listen to “She’s Leaving You” below, and be sure to check out a fresh batch of tunes on What’s All This: Adventures in New Music at 2 p.m. Sundays on 88Nine.
Episode playlist
- Clairo, “Nomad”
- Naima Bock, “Kaley”
- Wilco, “Annihilation”
- Peel Dream Magazine, “Lie In the Gutter”
- Dummy, “Nullspace”
- Lutalo, “Ocean Swallows Him Whole”
- HOMESHAKE, “Believe”
- James Blake, Lil Yachty, “Midnight”
- King Isis, “Dissonance”
- Kim Gordon, “ECRP”
