MAN/WOMAN/CHAINSAW BLEND CHAOS WITH COHESION ON FIRST FULL LENGTH ‘CANNONBALL’

ALBUM REVIEW | MAN/WOMAN/CHAINSAW – CANNONBALL by Anne Kelly

Another week and there’s another absolute cracker of a debut album emerging from the South. Cannonball, the first full-length effort from London six-piece Man/Woman/Chainsaw, sees the experimental sextet pushing the boundaries where avant-garde chaos meets mainstream indie rock.

Formed in 2019 when its members were still teenagers, the band dropped their debut single in 2023 before delivering their critically acclaimed EP, Eazy Peazy, in late 2024. Now signed to Fiction Records – the legendary home of The Cure – they’ve cannonballed directly into the spotlight. Nearly two years on, Cannonball acts as the ultimate snapshot of their rapid, unstoppable trajectory.

Clocking in at 40 minutes, Cannonball charts the full width of the band’s sonic landscape, balancing atmospheric softness one moment and abrasive weight the next. While no two songs share the same blueprint, the album stands as a strikingly complete body of work – proving that six distinct creative minds can carve out a shared, singular identity.

‘Only Girl’ serves as a natural opener, launching the album at full throttle with an energetic, fast-driven pop beat. Fronted by Vera Leppänen, the playful love track sets a towering standard for the record’s orchestration, anchored by offbeat keys and tightly rhythmic verses. A cutting violin and driving guitar-drum combo propel the chorus, while a dynamic quiet/loud bridge blends seamlessly with string harmonies. Polished and high-octane, it instantly signals the calibre of talent to come.

That momentum shifts with ‘Canyons’, steering the energy toward a somber, lyric-focused space. Dramatic, yet never theatrical, the second track is fronted this time by Emmie-Mae Avery. A ballad which relies on the sweeping strings of the sensational Clio Harwood to amplify its raw emotional weight. There’s a pulsing bridge that builds tension toward a brief, stripped-back violin solo that subtly teases what’s next before the track unexpectedly explodes at the two-minute mark. Crashing in with a heavy, intense climax that catches you completely off guard, the track that you least expect to blow has gone off.

‘Goddamn, Lizard Man!’ reveals yet another side of the band’s palette. Driven by a bluesy, psychedelic rhythm and now Billy Ward’s smooth vocal depth, it delivers a timeless classic rock vibe that is elevated by an infectious piano hook over the chorus. 

Describing the rack, Billy explains:

“It’s a look at the kind of slimy, manipulative magnetism people can carry – you recognise that they’re the worst yet somehow you can still find yourself captivated. We’ve all met a few lizards in our time!” 

Remarkably, despite the first three tracks spanning vastly different styles and three distinct vocalists, everything feels completely cohesive. It all carries the same signature stamp, highlighting the band’s tight connection and stellar production.

Briefly slowing down for the beautifully melodic pop ballad ‘Lighter’, the track is led by gentle, warm vocals and grounded by a sultry, jazzy piano which leads into the album’s undeniable highlight ‘Nosedive’. Kicking off with an upbeat synth line that builds masterfully bar by bar which layers the always perfected percussion from Lola Cherry , Billy Doyle‘s wah-inflected guitar, Leppänen’s bass licks and Harwood’s violin before the vocals enter – the track pushes through a near six-minute runtime. Steadily picking up pace as new textures unfold, it leaves a dense, immersive mix which even when listened to a hundred times over, you can still discover something new.

The intensity continues, bleeding directly into the next masterpiece, ‘Get Up and Dance’. Opening on a haunting whistle synth that grows more oppressive as vocal harmonies lock in, a building pre-chorus creates a striking sense of tension, oozing style, swag, and an uneasy, seductive energy.

“In my mind it’s set in a club, where you spot someone who’s been trying their luck with different people all night and decide to turn the game back on them. It starts playful but then takes a forceful approach, as you push them to prove their interest and test how far they’ll go, aiming to have them make a fool of themselves.”  Emmie-Mae Avery

Arriving right after these two longer moments, the brief burst of ‘Snakebite’ provides a welcome breather. As the shortest track on the album, it taps into the band’s folk-rock roots while continuing to deliver the infectious, offbeat rhythms that keep their arrangements so dynamic.

Still, the home stretch showcases a band firing on all cylinders. ‘Flick of the Wrist’ pairs a jazz-infused piano melodies with the contrast of Billy’s smooth growl and heavy-leaning rock guitars, demonstrating a level of structural maturity far beyond their years. Meanwhile, ‘The Thing’ leans into their grittier tendencies, carrying a riff-heavy edge reminiscent of early Black Sabbath paired with a punchier, punk-infused vocal delivery.

Finally, ‘Something Else to Give’ kicks off with a swagger-filled bass line that immediately signals a grand finale. The arrangement steadily expands, relying on lush vocal harmonies while sweeping strings shoulder the emotional weight. The track feels like it’s building towards a moment of profound clarity, punctuated by dramatic pauses that feel like sudden flashes of realisation, ultimately bringing the record home on an undeniably grand note.

This record reveals every dimension of Man/Woman/Chainsaw, bound together by an infectious familiar and family-like warmth: drama, tears, and all. There is no battling for the limelight or designated “main vocalist” here; every one of the six members is essential to the architecture of their sound. Rather than play it safe with a streamlined, easily pigeonholed debut, they band embrace their full spectrum of influences, balancing crushing heaviness with quiet tenderness.

On paper, Man/Woman/Chainsaw shouldn’t work. On record, it’s brilliant and a triumph for both the band and the team behind them.

Cannonball by Man/Woman/Chainsaw is out via Fiction Records now. You can buy/stream the record HERE.

Catch the band on their intimate record store tour this week – TICKETS HERE

Full Tour Dates for September/October on sale NOW.

Man/Woman/Chainsaw live:

Sat 19 Sept – Belfast, UK – Ulster Sports Club
Sun 20 Sept – Dublin, IE – Whelan’s
Tue 22 Sept – Manchester, UK – Gorilla
Wed 23 Sept – Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club
Thu 24 Sept – Newcastle, UK – The Grove
Fri 25 Sept – Glasgow, UK – King Tut’s
Sat 26 Sept – Sheffield, UK – Float Along Festival
Tue 29 Sept – Guildford, UK – The Boileroom
Wed 30 Sept – Brighton, UK – Concorde 2
Thu 1 Oct – Portsmouth, UK – The Wedgewood Rooms
Fri 2 Oct – Bristol, UK – Thekla
Sat 3 Oct – Cardiff, UK – The Globe
Mon 5 Oct – Nottingham, UK – Rescue Rooms
Tue 6 Oct – Birmingham, UK – Hare & Hounds
Wed 7 Oct – London, UK – Electric Ballroom