Man/Woman/Chainsaw have given NME’s The Cover another layer of value by curating an exclusive playlist to go with their profile. For publishers, songwriters, labels and rights holders, this kind of artist-led curation is a reminder that a feature can travel beyond the article itself and into listening habits.
A playlist built to keep listeners moving
The south London band’s exclusive “HITS Workout” playlist includes tracks by Confidence Man, FKA twigs, My Chemical Romance, Nirvana and more. NME says the playlist is available to listen to in full on Spotify and Apple Music.
The playlist accompanies this week’s edition of The Cover, where Man/Woman/Chainsaw are featured as NME’s latest stars. The profile is part of NME’s weekly commitment to spotlighting emerging talent, with one rising artist appearing on The Cover each week.
The band behind the feature
NME describes Man/Woman/Chainsaw as a south London six-piece who began as experimental teens, taking cues from bands like Black Midi and gradually bringing more melodic ideas into their music. Vocalist and bassist Vera Leppänen says the band is not trying to force a Top 40 hit, while singer-guitarist Billy Ward says they still aim to make unexpected choices without doing “weird for weird’s sake.”
The group’s lineup settled in 2023, when guitarist Billy Doyle, drummer Lola Cherry and violinist Clio Starwood completed the sextet. Pianist Emmie-Mae Avery also joined after seeing one of the band’s early incarnations at her first-ever gig, before being asked to play keys.
From chaos to songs that land
The article says the band’s current shape reflects a slow process that began in 2019, when Leppänen and Ward started making music together at age 14. Avery says that before their 2024 single “Ode to Clio,” the band often sounded like “a lot of people playing at the same time,” but that song marked a point where the material began to feel like songs rather than a jumble of parts.
What to watch next: the full The Cover profile, the playlist on Spotify and Apple Music, and how Man/Woman/Chainsaw continue to balance their more melodic side with the strange, unexpected choices that define them.
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