Man/Woman/Chainsaw's Debut Album 'Cannonball': NME Names It Among the Year's Best First LPs
South London six-piece Man/Woman/Chainsaw released their debut album Cannonball on August 7, 2026 through label Fiction. In a new review, NME named it one of the year's most substantial debut records and tipped it as a strong contender for the 2027 Mercury Prize.
Inside the record: standout tracks and sound
The album opens with 'Only Girl,' which kicks off with a single snare hit before a wall of shoegaze guitars and ascending strings rush in — all while staying anchored to a pop melody. Guitarist Billy Ward told NME in a cover feature that the band's experimentation is 'never weird for weird's sake' — the song always comes first.
'Canyons' opens with vocals NME compares to Adele or Alicia Keys before swerving into string-assisted grunge, a shift the outlet likens to the intensity of '90s band dEUS. 'Still Angry' is described as a pop song that could nearly top the Radio 1 playlist if it hadn't been run through the band's 'demented rock mangle,' while 'Lighter' balances a jazz-bar mood against a wall of post-rock sound.
6 Music favorite 'Nosedive' is called a 'certified banger' by NME, blending the cinematic sweep of early Arcade Fire, the dancefloor pull of LCD Soundsystem, and the manic wit of Los Campesinos. 'Godddamn, Lizard Man!' is framed as a modern update on the gothic atmosphere of Nick Cave's 'Red Right Hand.'
The band splits vocal duties three ways between Ward, keyboardist Emmie-Mae Avery, and bassist Vera Leppänen, with violinist Clio Starwood, guitarist Billy Doyle, and drummer Lola Cherry rounding out the lineup.
Who they are
Man/Woman/Chainsaw formed in South London when its members were 16, honing their sound in a rehearsal space converted from a vicarage and behind pub stages. By 19 they'd already played more than 100 shows and are alumni of the NME 100 list. NME calls Cannonball a major leap from the raw ambition of their earlier EP Eazy Peasy — 'experimental without being indulgent, playful yet emotionally direct.'
- 📅 Release date: August 7, 2026
- 💿 Label: Fiction