No one paid too much attention when Jake Lenderman recorded Boat Songs, his third album released under his initials, MJ Lenderman. Before he cut it, after all, he was a 20-year-old guitarist working at an ice cream shop in his mountain hometown of Asheville, North Carolina, getting away for self-booked tours of his own songs or with the band he’d recently joined, Wednesday, whenever possible.

But as the pandemic took hold just as he turned 21, Lenderman—then making more money through state unemployment than he had ever serving scoops—enjoyed the sudden luxury of free time. Every day, he would read, paint, and write; every night, he and his roommates, bandmates, and best friends would drink and jam in their catawampus rental home, singing whatever came to mind over their collective racket. Some of those lines stuck around the next morning, slowly becoming 2021’s self-made Ghost of Your Guitar Solo and then 2022’s Boat Songs, recorded in a proper studio for a grand. With its barbed little jokes, canny sports references, and gloriously ragged guitar solos, Boat Songs became one of that year’s biggest breakthroughs, a ramshackle set of charms and chuckles. Much the same happened for Wednesday. Suddenly, people were paying a lot of attention to what Jake Lenderman might make next.

The answer is Manning Fireworks, recorded at Asheville’s Drop of Sun during multiple four-day stints whenever Lenderman had a break from the road. Coproducing it with pal and frequent collaborator Alex Farrar, Lenderman plays nearly every instrument here. It is not only his fourth full-length and studio debut for ANTI- but also a remarkable development in his story as an incredibly incisive singer-songwriter, whose propensity for humor always points to some uneasy, disorienting darkness. He wrote and made it with full awareness of the gaze Boat Songs had generated, how people now expected something great. Rather than wither, however, Lenderman used that pressure to ask himself what kind of musician he wanted to be—the funny cynic in the corner forever ready with a riposte or barbed bon mot, or one who could sort through his sea of cultural jetsam and one-liners to say something real about himself and his world, to figure out how he fits into all this mess?

He chose, of course, the latter. As a result, Manning Fireworks is an instant classic of an LP, his frank introspection and observation finding the intersection of wit and sadness and taking up residence there for 39 minutes. Yes, the punchlines are still here, as are the rusted-wire guitar solos that have made Lenderman a favorite for indie rock fans looking for an emerging guitar hero. (Speaking of solos, did you hear him leading his totally righteous band, the Wind, on his lauded live cassette last year? Wow.) But there’s a new sincerity, too, as Lenderman lets listeners clearly see the world through his warped lens, perhaps for the first time. “Please don’t laugh,” he deadpans during “Joker Lips,” a magnetic song about feeling pushed out by everyone else. “Only half of what I said was a joke.” Maybe you hear a tremble in his voice? That’s the frown behind the mask, finally slipping from Lenderman’s face.

Perhaps it’s a good moment, then, to tell you more about Lenderman, as a person. Though he is in fact a basketball zealot from North Carolina (and a former two guard who once dropped 10 threes in a game), MJ is not a reference to Michael Jordan. His name is actually Mark Jacob Lenderman. His parents are heads who were going to Bonnaroo when he was a baby and, as he admits, know more about modern music than he does. The second-to-youngest in a family of six, he was a childhood altar boy who went to Catholic school until he begged to go to public school to join the music program. Guitar Hero changed his life, leading him to obsessions with Jimi Hendrix and The Smashing Pumpkins.

He began recording himself on his mom’s laptop in fifth grade after discovering My Morning Jacket’s roughshod early works, those lo-fi transmissions serving as some DIY semaphore. The lyrics started to come when he was a teenager. Those lyrics finally come into sharp focus on Manning Fireworks, where the poetic clarity of William Carlos Williams and the economy of Raymond Carver meet the striking imagery of Harry Crews. Simply witness the opening title track, where an arresting first glimpse of a bird succumbing to a windstorm yields to criticisms of performative religious virtue, crass opportunism, and people who get just plain mean. Or there’s the way, during “Rudolph,”

Lenderman uses an imagined scene of Lightning McQueen (yes, the smiling speedy from Cars) mowing down a doe to wonder, flatly, “How many roads must a man walk down ’til he learns he’s just a jerk?”

During the instantly addictive “Wristwatch,” it’s hard to tell if that jerk is Lenderman or someone else that’s too proud of what they have to be humble about what they’ve forsaken. Indeed, there is self-doubt, world weariness, worry, and alcoholism here, conditions rendered with a clarity and care that make these songs feel like short films. None of this is esoteric or obscure, either; Lenderman simply offers everyday anxieties and enthusiasms in uncanny ways.

If that all reads heavy, it actually sounds quite light on Manning Fireworks, sadness and shame routed through guitars that echo the sparkle of R.E.M. and the insistence of Drive-By Truckers, both fellow Southern greats. A half-sneering portrait of a dad cheating his way through a midlife crisis, at least until he gets caught and blasts Clapton in a rented Ferrari en route to Vegas, “She’s Leaving You” is the perfect shout-along anthem for any kid who’s ever felt shortchanged by their parents. The great “On My Knees” suggests a more efficient Crazy Horse, Lenderman’s voice cracking over sawtooth electric guitar as he wonders what it means to have fun in a world where so many people seem so full of shit. Even “You Don’t Know the Shape I’m In”—a bummer acoustic blues bouncing first over a drum machine and then a brushed snare, with Lenderman’s voice traced by Karly Hartzman—feels happy to be here, sorting through these existential questions we’re lucky enough to have. There is an abiding sadness to Manning Fireworks, but it feels friendly and familiar, the kind of troubles you’ve always known.

No, no one paid too much attention to Lenderman when he was recording Boat Songs. And for a while there, the amount of attention he was getting as he made Manning Fireworks got in his head. But on the finale, “Bark at the Moon,” he is back in his childhood bedroom in a sleepy mountain tourist town, swearing off big cities or changing himself to suit anyone’s expectations. Instead, he’s playing Guitar Hero until the wee hours, a kid falling in love with rock music all over again. He lets out a playful howl, like the beast in that Ozzy hit. He and his friends then disappear for the next seven minutes, his guitar solo subsumed in a roaring drone that recalls the righteous Sonic Youth records that Lenderman loves, the ones made soon after he was born. It’s a joyous escape and an important moment. Lenderman is still sorting through the kinds of songs he wants to write and remembering they can go anywhere he wants—much like they did back at those late-night house jams, no matter who is now looking.

There’s been no stopping for The Paper Kites since their critically acclaimed 2015 album twelvefour and their 2018 On the Train Ride Home and The Corner Where You Live. With official platinum certification in the US, Melbourne indie folk outfit The Paper Kites released their highly anticipated fifth studio album 'Roses'in 2021.With their brand of weather-beaten ballads and rain drenched pop, the 10 track album bleeds with gentle significance, full of power and sentimentality.

The Paper Kites (which includes vocalist Sam Bentley, vocalist Christina Lacy, guitarist Dave Powys, drummer Josh Bentley and bassist Sam Rasmussen) have earned a loyal, organic fan base. In the eight years since they formed, what’s followed is an impressive reach of their music with standout single Bloom (from their Woodland EP) certified platinum with over 700,000 tracks soldacross America, which sees them join a small list of Aussie artists (including ACDC, INXS, Midnight Oil, SIA, Kylie Minogue, Flume and Silverchair) who have received platinum accreditation in the US.

Ever the quiet achievers - The Paper Kites return with their 5th studio album, 'Roses' is a testament to sincere, patient and understated songwriting. A deeply moving collection of songs, helmed by a cherished selection of artists. Featuring a powerhouse of female accompanists in Lucy Rose (UK), Julia Stone (AU), Nadia Reid (NZ), Maro (PT), Aoife O'Donovan (US), Rosie Carney (IE), Ainslie Wills (AU), Amanda Bergman (SE), Lydia Cole (NZ) and Gena Rose Bruce (AU), 'Roses' is the first collaborative release from the band.

The band has also been steadily touring across 4 continents, 26 countrieswith nearly 300 shows in just under 4 years. With over half a billion streams and nearly 4 million monthly listeners on Spotify, they continue to amass new fans wherever they go.

From bittersweet ballad to gritty barn burner, Noeline Hofmann brings the glowing expanse of the Plains to the stage- a voice with the golden charm of a meadowlark and lyricism with the strike of a rattlesnake. As observed by Whiskey Riff, “this girl walks the walk and talks the talk.” Between a history of working in honky-tonks and punching cattle across the Canadian Prairies, Hofmann’s sage songwriting and live show bleed a head-turning authenticity through her sterling brand of ‘Wild Rose’ country music.

Named one of Holler Country’s 24 New Country & Americana Artists for 2024, the notoriety of 20-year-old Hofmann’s musical prowess has extended far beyond her home in the Badlands of Southern Alberta, Canada since emerging onto the scene in early 2023. Hot off of the release of a live video recording of her song “Purple Gas,” episode number seven of Zach Bryan’s iconic video series, “The Belting Bronco,” Hofmann hit the ground with the pedal down into 2024, and with tour dates supporting Charley Crockett across Canada approaching in May as well as plans to make her debut to streaming services within the year, has no intentions of letting up.

In the spring of 2023, Hofmann’s song “Lonely Morning” landed her a Top 5 placement in the Kentucky-based Master Musicians Festival : Take The Stage Contest leading her to journey down from Alberta to Appalachia, guitar in hand. Field recordings filmed during her American escapade, a cover of “The Bullfighter” by Luke Bell (Powell River Sessions) and an original song “Run, Horses” (Hippies & Cowboys Podcast), opened the gates further for Hofmann in the US – magnetising an audience of keen Southern listeners on top of the growing grassroots following she had gathered back home while cutting her teeth in the dive bars of Albertan cowboy towns.

In the months following her return to Canada, a video clip of Hofmann’s song “Purple Gas” picked up organic traction on TikTok and Instagram, quickly garnering the attention of international superstar Zach Bryan. Bryan shared the song with his fans, accelerating its viral success of 2 million views to date at breakneck speed leaving Hofmann with listeners around the world awaiting a debut release to streaming services with bated breath. “Purple Gas” has since been featured on Pattison Media’s commercial country radio stations across Western Canada and has received accolades and shares from thousands of fans, including stars Parker McCollum and Noah Kahan, as well as leading country music news platforms Country Central, Whiskey Riff, and Holler Country. The trajectory of Hofmann’s snowballing acclaim straight out of the gate points towards a road ahead that is chock-full of stage lights and marquee signs; the making of a prominent new voice in the alternative country music soundscape.

From stoner-boy to country-boy, blue-boy to a golden-voiced-man, Boy Golden has embodied them all. Now, as our guide, Boy Golden leads us through this next experience with kindness and humour, straight down Highway 5 and headlong into For Eden.

Ten stories told from his heart, his dreams and his real life, For Eden is about searching for things — like dreams, love and better versions of himself, all wrapped up in some idea of a perfect place, be it real or imagined. But Paradise isn’t an outer realm; it’s the peace Boy Golden’s found within.

Since his debut, Church of Better Daze (2020), Boy Golden has been immersed in the journey: one where he’s traveled inward towards himself and the other traversing the observable world. Touring for hundreds of days, spending time at home in the studio alone or with friends, Boy Golden has been writing, writing, writing. From the lyrics, to the music, to the accompanying behind the scenes stories and newsletters, Boy Golden’s honesty and clarity are magnificent. At times they magnify small wells of sadness, bringing forth the tears; other times they widen smiles, decimate guilt and fear, and others still, his songwriting eases the boundaries between folk, bluegrass, Americana and pop music.

A compass and a lighthouse, a roadmap and a set of postcards, For Eden forms a neat collection of experiences, remembered with tenderness and beauty. It serves as a travel companion for others on their respective journeys. It’s nice to have someone along for the ride — and someone waiting for you at home.

If home is where Boy Golden’s heart is, be it in the big city, tiny town, on the road or on a record, For Eden beats solidly, passionately, emphatically for a life and for love in the moments we have.