The Friday Dispatch
Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Cat Cohen, Wishy, Carol Ades, MARINA, and Dora Jar
Man/Woman/Chainsaw emerge from collective sacrifice
The most exciting live band in London right now, teenage art-punks Man/Woman/Chainsaw are breaking new sonic ground by ripping up the rule book.
“Friends first, bandmates second,” jokes violinist Clio Starwood when asked to describe the dynamic of M/W/C. While said in jest, it’s a statement that rings true for the London band whose roots of collaboration trace back to their school days, with work emails shared in sixth form hallways and collaboration offers chatted over in lunch breaks. “All of us knew each other from like Year 10 to Year 12,” shares bassist and vocalist Vera Leppänen. Elaborating, guitarist/vocalist Billy Ward adds: “between those years we gradually came together as a band. We started doing shows quite young. The lineup changed quite a lot; we would get people in and out on different instruments, then this lineup settled,” he says, sweeping his hand around the group. “Two guitars, keys, bass, drums, synthesiser – that kind of settled.”
Completed by drummer Lola Cherry and vocalist synths/vocalist Emmie-Mae Avery, Man/Woman/Chainsaw are cooking up a fresh blend of raucous indie for the next generation. Gigging since the age of 16, they’ve racked up over 100 shows, signed to Fat Possum, and have just dropped their debut EP, Eazy Peazy.
The group have taken every opportunity afforded to them in stride, balancing their raw talent with wide-eyed enthusiasm. Their innate pull towards experimentation, removing musical expectations from their own instruments and seeing what happens next, is palpable throughout Eazy Peazy. “The Boss” with its heavy theme and heavier sounds, exploring power dynamics through electrifying violin and synth lines, is unlike anything on “Grow a Tongue in Time”, with its floating sonic experience and intimate vocals from Leppänen. Yet, they are both without a doubt Man/Woman/Chainsaw. This is a band full of contradictions, their youthful energy contrasting sharply with the depth of their musical maturity. They maintain a DIY ethos while collaborating with seasoned professionals, and while they may have been born out of London’s local scene, they’re preparing to take on the world.
This week at Best Fit, we’ve been excited about the release of Die Happy, a collection of archival, pandemic-time material from Emily Burns. Also out this week is Come Ahead, the latest album from Primal Scream; Seed of a Seed, the folksy new offering from Hayley Heyndrickx; and All Pleasure from rock outfit THUS LOVE.
Cat Cohen on The Magnetic Fields
When I first heard his lyrics, it was like my brain was broken open – lyrics can be funny and silly and still heartfelt, and, oh my god, heartbreaking.
I love 69 Love Songs so much. I could pick like ten songs from this album that I'm completely obsessed with, but this one I just really relate to, because that's what falling in love is like. It's like, “I’m a fucking psycho, and just you wait!” And that's the energy.
I fell in love so many times when I was that age, and everything felt like The Big Thing. And sometimes I miss those ups and downs, cause I think those feelings inspire me to make stuff. But ultimately I don't miss those feelings of heartache, because it's horrible.
I discovered the album through my best friend in college, Rebecca. She actually gets a shoutout on my album – On the song “I Like Men” I have a joke about needing people to remember facts for my life. And I'm like, “Rebecca's my college roommate!” She has amazing taste in music and poetry, and she showed me a lot of stuff, so I bet she showed me this.
The introduction
One of the year’s hottest newcomers, Indiana group Wishy are taking the scene by storm. You can catch them in London this week, performing at Pitchfork Festival on Saturday.
Names… Kevin, Nina, Conner, Mitch, and Dimitri
Ages… 30, 27, 27, 27, 34
Hometowns… Carmel, Carmel, Sharpsville, Westfield, and Wabash. All Indiana!
Describe your sound in 5 words… Lemonade on a summer’s day
How you started making music together…. God spoke and we listened
Favourite thing to do together outside the studio…. Hacky sack
Best piece of 90s media… Northern exposure
Name a flag and a green flag… Red flag: Taking yourself too seriously // Green flag: Knowing how to hacky sack
Wishy’s debut album Triple Seven is out now
From the archive….
Rising to meet a perilous moment, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young released “Ohio” in 1970 as a response to the Kent State shooting. Perhaps the standard-bearer of protest anthems, the message and memory of “Ohio” loom large. In the rendition we’re sharing with you this week, Neil Young performs the song alone, stripped down to just an acoustic guitar, at Toronto’s historic Massey Hall in 1971.
Something Old, Something New
Every week, we share recommendations from the Best Fit community on two iconic records — one from the past, one from the present. This week, Carol Ades shares her thoughts on The Family Jewels by MARINA (2009) and No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire by Dora Jar (2024).
When I was in high school The Family Jewels was my entire personality. My introduction to her was ‘‘I Am Not a Robot’, the first song on the album, and I immediately became obsessed. I just thought she was so weird and theatrical and dramatic. She came across so self-assured, and I found it at a time when I really wanted to express myself in these big dramatic ways, I just didn’t know how to. This album was everything to me at the time. I was also listening to a lot of Regina Spektor during this period of high school and The Family Jewels felt inspired by Regina’s melodies but the production was poppier and it really became my first introduction to alternative pop. My go to’s were I Am Not a Robot, Oh No!, and Numb. I was honestly equally obsessed with her second record ‘Electric Heart’ (shoutout Teen Idol) but The Family Jewels will always be my winner since it was my first introduction to her. It really was my holy grail soundtrack to all my teenage angst. I met her at a party once maybe 5ish year ago and I was so starstruck I just yelled “ I WROTE A CREATIVE WRITING ASSIGNMENT ON YOU IN HIGHSCHOOL AND I GOT A B+”. I think she thought I was so fucking weird and that is totally fine with me.
I think Dora has the magic touch. I don’t even know what that means but I swear whatever it is, she has it. I had been so excited for No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire to come out and it did not disappoint. I listened to Timelapse over and over and over again after I heard it for the first time trying to figure out what about it made me feel like I was in a trance. The production makes me feel like I’m in a movie, her lyrics are so abstract and beautiful and I find something new in them every time I listen. She just has this way of making the world around me feel so whimsical and fairytale-like, I wish I could live in that world all the time.
Carol Ades’s debut album, Late Start, is out now. She is also currently on tour in the US
Listen to the week in new music by following our Discovery playlist
Dropping at midnight every Thursday, follow our playlist for a taste of the best new music from the most exciting breaking artists – 20 new tracks from the last five days in music that we’ve got on repeat in the Best Fit office right now.
Leading the selection this week are new tracks from West Side Cowboy, Renny Conti, es.cher, Cold Desires, and coverstars Cistern.