Interview
Interview
Man/Woman/Chainsaw: “We don’t write songs that sound the same. We wanted to go to different places, so we did”
Artsy South London collective Man/Woman/Chainsaw delve into how their stellar debut album embraces a whole gamut of emotions – and genres
Man/Woman/Chainsaw are about to release one of the most brilliantly outrageous albums of 2026. The 11 tracks of Cannonball cover everything from brooding post-punk, shimmering pop, snarling indie, classical melodrama and experimental art-punk, without ever feeling confused. “We don’t write songs that sound the same. We wanted to go to different places, so we did,” says the band’s Billy Ward shortly after a triumphant set at Latitude Festival. “There are six brains in this band and we wanted to explore those fully,” adds Clio Starwood.
The London-based six-piece formed as teenagers and spent their weekends playing as many gigs as they could. Over the next few years, they developed a loyal following and worked out how to weave their increasingly eclectic pool of influences together. Debut EP Eazy Peazy and standalone singles ‘Adam & Steve’ and ‘MadDog’ saw Man/Woman/Chainsaw flexing their technical skills but Cannonball builds on that impressive talent by leading the listener on an emotional journey that’s accessible without being predictable. The secret? Being inspired by each other. “We all have such different strengths, so you’re constantly driven to match what someone else can do or find a way to enhance it,” says Billy.
Whether it’s the visceral heartbreak of ‘Canyons’, the optimism of ‘Lighter’ (“the line ‘you make my whole life lighter’ is just such a beautiful way to describe how much joy and sunlight someone can bring into your own life,” says Clio) or the fury of the Nick Cave-inspired ‘Goddamn, Lizard Man!’, it’s an album rooted in brutal reality. “Even if I didn’t write a specific song, I can still relate this album to my own shit,” says Clio. “It just feels really exciting to be a part of something like that.”
As tricky as it is to label what Man/Woman/Chainsaw are doing, they don’t believe Cannonball is a wildly shocking album. “It’s experimental in the fact it doesn’t stick to one genre. It’s a little bit scattered but hopefully makes sense as a body of work,” says Clio. “It’s not a crazy drone record but doing anything creative is experimental,” adds Billy. “There are a million different things you can do with a pop song.”
That attitude reflects the confidence that went into Cannonball, which celebrates the band’s chemistry and showcases their growth over the past few years. They say it’s just the beginning though. “We still don’t know what Man/Woman/Chainsaw is. If we ever figure that out, we’ll stop,” says Billy. “It’s constantly growing and changing as we consume more art. This is the first time in our career where everything we’ve written is about to be released, so we need to get back into writing mode. I already think album two will be very different from the debut.”
What were your ambitions when you first started Man/Woman/Chainsaw?
Billy: The goalposts have kept moving. When we started, we wanted to play a show, then we wanted to be paid for playing a gig. We wanted to play a venue we really loved and had visited as punters, then we wanted to play outside of London. It’s just built from there. We’ve always been determined but there’s no ambition to anything but keep doing it, and doing it well. Seeing a band who are good at what they do is just awesome.
Clio: To start with, it was something we’d do at weekends with our friends. I don’t think any of us anticipated it would become what it has though. We’re still coming to terms with other people liking our band. It’s a really magical thing to have people enjoy and be excited by your music though.
You obviously pull from all different genres. Are there any bands you all agree on?
Billy: We all have super diverse tastes so I don’t know if there’s one band that we wanted to copy, so to speak. When I first met Vera (Leppänen, co-vocalist), we were 14, so we bonded over the guitar music you like as a teenager; Nirvana, Pixies, Linkin Park, Rage Against The Machine. As we’ve gone on, we’ve all discovered such different stuff. We don’t necessarily put it all into our stuff but we talk about music all the time.
Clio: It’s such an exciting time for music right now as well. That’s definitely a big part of our conversations but we all showcase our different tastes in really unique ways. I’m a big fan of hyperpop and I don’t think I can say that about many of my other bandmates. I personally take a lot of pride in the fact that we’re a girl-heavy band. There are plenty of boys playing guitars, so it’s nice to be part of something where there’s more femininity.
It’s been four years since you released your first single. Why did you focus on playing live for the first few years?
Billy: We wanted to wait until we felt ready. We needed to have enough songs for the album and we needed the time to write the wrong songs to realise what was right for us. I’m glad we waited until we did because I don’t think we would have made as a mature record as we did without that time onstage. That said, it’s still plenty immature.
Clio: Those formative years were really important. We were playing really loud music that didn’t make much sense. That’s still the foundation for what we do now but we’ve learned how to make it make sense. We grew up as a live band which was the best way to do it I think because every show taught us so much. We were also able to connect with people that were in the same room as us and that collective effervescence is just so powerful. With the way the world is going, those authentic moments of expression and connection will become even more important. I’ve been to amazing gigs that have changed my life. The idea that this could do a fraction of that to someone else is amazing.
Which gigs?
Billy: Big Thief really moves me whenever I see them. There’s something about how they act like one collective organism that’s just so special. We all saw Iggy Pop together at a festival last year and the raw power of the show was amazing. It made me want to write something as monolithic as some of his songs.
Clio: I saw New Order with my dad in 2023. It was great to hear the songs that shaped my childhood. I stayed behind to watch The Cure after we performed at Rock Werchter recently. It was such an impressive show and that was one of those surreal evenings that made me realise that what we’re doing with this band has already changed so much.
Was there a vision for Cannonball?
Billy: The vision was to make an album. We wanted to make it sound like lots of different things because that’s just what we do. But making that mash-up of different influences work as one thing was important. As we went on, the idea of putting everything that we’ve lived through into the record became more of a focus too. We wanted it to move you emotionally.
Lyrically, what are you singing about on Cannonball?
Clio: Love and loss. Yearning. There’s a bit of angst. It’s heavy on the romance too.
Billy: There’s a lot of anger too. We’ve got some quite pissed off songs on there. It was also about looking back at relationships or friendships and being like ‘I loved that’ or ‘I would never do that again’. Quite a few of the songs are sentimental but not entirely satisfied. ‘Nosedive’ sounds super euphoric but the lyrics are pretty bleak. It was just about finding different ways of expressing what we’ve been through.
Why end the record with ‘Something Else To Give’ – is it a taster of where you go next?
Billy: We knew the record had to start with ‘Only Girl’ because that’s such a great introduction. It was either going to be ‘Nosedive’ or ‘Something Else To Give’ for the final track. It’s the darker choice, but we went with ‘Something Else To Give’ because the gravity of it was so appealing. Maybe it’s where we go next, maybe it isn’t – but that track leaves things feeling open-ended.
Clio: It also just felt very final. It’s undeniably quite a gut wrenching song that climaxes quite satisfyingly. It’s us doing what we do best.
What do you hope this record means to other people?
Clio: From the music to the album cover, it’s a big accumulation of our personal histories. It’s very real. It’s very raw and authentic because that’s the only way that we know how to be. I hope it speaks to people and provides them with a tool for overcoming or embracing what they’re feeling. I hope this record creates a sense of escapism too. Music is a beautiful thing. It’s one of the more optimistic things going on in the world right now and for us to be a part of that in a positive way is just the ultimate prize.
