Man/Woman/Chainsaw’s Cannonball is a bold and inventive journey

Emerging from Brixton’s Windmill scene, the London group have been making a name for themselves the last few years for their inventive take on the art rock stylings of their peers. Across their debut EP, Eazy Peazy, and singles like “Adam & Steve” and “MadDog”, the six-piece flipped between pounding punk bangers and reflective baroque pop, touching on power pop, noise rock, and celtic music as well.

Despite their tendency to fly all over the musical map, the group managed to keep their core sound consistent and identifiable. Still, the question of if they could keep that balance in place on a complete album remained. With their full-length debut, titled Cannonball, having arrived, that question has been answered.

Across its 41 minutes, Cannonball is a definitive showcase of all of the sounds and styles that Man/Woman/Chainsaw have spent the better half of a decade tinkering with. Pulling from their past and their future, the band, alongside producers Seth Evans and Margo Broom, have consolidated the scattershot energy of their prior discography into a single package.

Tracks like “Lighter” and “Still Angry” show off the group’s ability to write lush and emotionally driven ballads, while “The Thing” and single “Goddamn, Lizard Man!” display strong groove and raw rock dynamism. The track “Canyons” meshes these contrasting attitudes to songwriting, opening as a touching piano-led waltz before folding into a cacophony of distorted noise and delirious strings during its final act, while opener “Only Girl” brings the two into harmony with an unbelievably catchy slice of artsy indie rock.

Vocal duties across the album are split three-ways between guitarist Billy Ward, pianist Emmie-May Avery and bassist Vera Leppänen, all of whom put in strong performances. When their voices come together on “The Thing” or closer “Something Else To Give”, it's a unique mix of pitch and tone that lend the tracks a rustic and beautiful feel.

While much of the album sees the group perfect the sounds they established on prior releases, they still find the time to experiment, most notably on lead single “Nosedive”. With its persistent synth-line and drum beat, it feels sort of like a bizarro universe take on Squid’s “Swing (In A Dream)”. It’s the longest track on the album at nearly 6 minutes, but with the compelling way that the track unfolds, it never feels like it overstays its welcome.

Cannonball is a strong debut for Man/Woman/Chainsaw, but it also feels like something of a victory lap. After four years of releasing interesting and inventive but overlooked art rock tunes, the group managed to bring all of their influences together into one fantastic experience that’s finally getting them the attention and love that they deserve.