Man/Woman/Chainsaw - Eazy Peazy

Following a brief hiatus, Some Other Time is back! As we step into the new year, we return with more interviews, fresh perspectives and in-depth profiles of some of our favourite artists and those who are shaping the sound of 2025. To kick things off however, we’re proud to introduce our Ones To Watch for the year ahead: Man/Woman/Chainsaw.

Ahead of the release of their debut EP Eazy Peazy we caught up with the band post-rehearsal, in an undisclosed location to find out a little more about their journey to date and what they’re all about.

In an era dominated by TikTok trends and fleeting viral moments, Man/Woman/Chainsaw are proving that there’s still value in building a following the good old-fashioned way. Despite their age, it has been well reported that they have already racked up in excess of 100 live shows, and as we step into the new year, they’re gearing up to hit the road once again.

Originally formed by Billy Ward (vocals, guitar) and Vera Leppänen (vocals, bass) at the age of just fourteen, the band have gone through several iterations before settling on their current line-up, performing today as a five-piece that features Emmie-Mae Avery (vocals, keys/synths), Clio Harwood (violin), and Lola Cherry (drums).

For the London-based group, 2024 marked perhaps, their biggest year to date as they released their debut EP, Eazy Peazy via Fat Possum Records, a project that had been a long time in the making. However, as Vera explained during our recent chat, releasing music wasn’t always the main priority.

“For fucking ages, I didn’t care about having music out,” she admits, reflecting on their early years. This focus on performing live, rather than finding a shortcut for streaming success has set them apart from many of their contemporaries who are finding recognition in new ways in an increasingly online world.

Clio Harwood, the band’s virtuoso violinist, elaborated on this approach: “A lot of people will bang out stuff on Spotify and then get discovered. For us, it’s been the opposite.” Instead of chasing viral hits, Man/Woman/Chainsaw have honed their craft, building an audience organically with their abundant energy and relentless gigging.

Their emphasis on performance has allowed them to refine their sound over time. As Vera puts it, “We had to establish a groove and an identity,” a process that now appears deeply connected to the evolution of their live shows. Clio echoed this, explaining, “We get better from playing shows. When you write a song, you need to road test it to see what people are reacting to and then go back and change the stuff they aren’t vibing to.” This trial-and-error approach has ensured their music has remained engaging, urgent and most importantly, a mirror of the dynamic nature of their performances.

Man/Woman/Chainsaw by Ella Margolin

Their debut EP, Eazy Peazy, captures this onstage intensity in uncanny fashion. Across six tracks, they have managed to bottle the same freneticism that has come to define their live shows, as they career between beauty and teeter on the edge chaos. For Billy Ward, the project as a whole “represents something different about how we each make music,” a quality that makes it a truly collective body of work. Written over a year and a half, it serves as a snapshot of the band’s formative years, blending instinctive sonic experimentation with the emotional tumult of teenage feeling, to create a sound that is at once urgent, new and also a synthesis of the London scene in which they came to prominence. Think BCNR meets the unpredictable twists and turns of Black Midi.

The EP balances their signature unpredictability with melodic cohesion, moving seamlessly between moments of ephemeral vulnerability and bursts of visceral intensity. Tracks like "EZPZ" showcase their penchant for layering intricate violin arrangements over distorted basslines, while songs such as "Maegan" embrace a chaotic energy that feels simultaneously unhinged and meticulously crafted. Lyrically, the project explores themes of self-discovery, frustration, and fleeting euphoria, reflecting the band’s fresh perspective but, without ever feeling naive or pastiche. In particular, the faux-collegiate anthem, “Sports Day” resplendent with ironic Americanisms is one of the highlights of the track listing, a cut seemingly imbued with the same song-writing spirit as some of the best output from Belle and Sebastian. As a whole, It’s a debut that feels both fearless and deliberate and one that we’ve had on repeat since it initially dropped late last year.

Man/Woman/Chainsaw by Ella Margolin

Looking ahead, the band show no sign of slowing down. With plans to expand their touring schedule despite various academic commitments, they’re determined to build on the momentum of Eazy Peazy. However, they do so with mature expectations. After years on the circuit, the realities of life on the road—the “driving, lots of rehearsing and writing”—are hardly wasted on them.

Despite their rapid rise, MWC have remained grounded in their ambitions. For now, Billy explains, “success is being able to make the shit we think is good,” while Lola adds, “If I could ever live off the band, that would be a success to me.”

Such modest aspirations reflect the increasingly harsh realities of today’s music industry, where sustainability often outweighs the prospect of superstardom. With streaming revenues notoriously low and viral success fleeting, many emerging artists are redefining what it means to “make it.” For MWC, longevity and authenticity seem to matter more than overnight success. Their approach harks back to an era when hard work and creating communities built careers, suggesting that in an increasingly fast-paced and algorithm-driven industry, there’s still room for bands willing to put in the miles both literally and figuratively.

Man/Woman/Chainsaw’s rise feels like a defiant response to the content-driven nature of the moment. By prioritising live performance and honing their craft on stage, they’ve built a reputation that’s as authentic as it is electrifying.

In the new year, their focus appears to remain firmly on the music—touring, writing, and pushing their collective creative boundaries. In an era that is bound to be littered with overnight sensations, Man/Woman/Chainsaw’s dedication to the long game is a reminder that real connections to audiences are still forged in the sweat and spontaneity of the pit. With Eazy Peazy as their foundation and an unrelenting drive to keep evolving, this is a band poised not only to make noise in 2025 but also for years to come.

For details of Man/Woman/Chainsaw’s upcoming tour, check out their Bandcamp via the link Music | Man/Woman/Chainsaw