MJ Lenderman has released a new video for ‘Wristwatch’, a highlight from last year’s Manning Fireworks, directed by Lance Bangs. The clip leans into the song’s themes of stalled momentum and mundane absurdity, with Lenderman repeatedly crashing a pickup truck loaded with basketballs and inflatable pool toys into an overpass.
“The imagery of characters caught in persistence without progress that has recurred in his writing was there in ‘Wristwatch’,” Bangs said. The concept draws on the real-life “Canopener” bridge in Durham, North Carolina, notorious for catching out overheight vehicles.
The video arrives ahead of an extensive EU and UK tour, including multiple sold-out dates and a Roundhouse headline in August. Lenderman and his band The Wind will also appear at major summer festivals including Primavera, Øya, Way Out West, and Green Man.
Manning Fireworks, released on ANTI-, earned widespread acclaim for its bittersweet lyrics and skewed alt-country sound, praised by outlets including Pitchfork, The Guardian, MOJO, and Rolling Stone UK.
Lenderman’s 2024 saw a rapid ascent, with high-profile US TV appearances, a sold-out North American run, and even a show at the Sydney Opera House. Now, with some of his biggest UK shows to date on the horizon, the North Carolina songwriter looks set to continue his momentum.
Tickets for the summer shows are on sale now, with a full list of dates available on Lenderman’s website.
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- Alt Country
- Green Man Festival
- Indie Rock
- Lance Bangs
- Live Music
- Manning Fireworks
- MJ Lenderman
- Primavera Sound
- UK tour
- Wristwatch
