Formed when its members were just 16 years old and writing their first songs in a converted vicarage, Man/Woman/Chainsaw continues its rise with this bold debut album. This follows a series of European gigs last month and a particularly memorable 2025, during which the band played to a sold-out crowd at La Scala in London as well as on a full UK tour in October – their second sold-out tour of the year. The band also recorded live sessions for KEXP and Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music, before making a notable debut appearance at SXSW in Austin in the spring, where Man/Woman/Chainsaw established themselves as one of the most promising British bands of this new wave.

The 11 tracks on Cannonball are brimming with raw emotion: grandiose and exuberant, driven by unconventional structures and instantly catchy choruses, they encapsulate the band’s years of intensive touring whilst revealing new facets of their songwriting. This debut album, both incisive and thoughtful, perfectly captures Man/Woman/Chainsaw as they are today: one of the most exciting London bands of their generation, capable of combining daring experimentation with ambitious songwriting. “We were talking about making a whole album of hits, where every track would really pack a punch,” says drummer Lola Cherry.

Alongside Seth Evans (Geordie Greep, Black Midi) and Margo Broom (Fat White Family, Big Joanie), Man/Woman/Chainsaw have crafted a sound with Cannonball that is both stripped-back and monumental, matching their emotional ambitions.

Their organic blend of theatricality and raw sincerity conceals an impressive mastery: these songs, with their formidable precision, accurately capture the chaos and tensions of adolescence and early adulthood, better than many of today’s bands.

Cannonball is perfectly named, hitting the London experimental scene with full force and definitively cementing Man/Woman/Chainsaw’s place amongst its brightest rising stars.