Tracks like opener ‘The Boss’ and ‘Sports Day’ saw the band mesh and play around with the sounds of Windmill bands of the previous wave, like the noise-rock face-melt of black midi and the dance-punk sensibilities of Squid. The band also found time to carve out their own unique style during the release, particularly on more low-key tracks like ‘Ode to Clio’ and ‘Grow A Tongue In Time’.
Their latest single, ‘MadDog’, acts as a sort of perfect middle ground between the experimental rock and art-pop stylings of ‘Eazy Peazy’ as it sees the band lock into a lovely groove in the studio.
The track opens with Franz Ferdinand-esque distorted guitars that prick up the ears. As the guitars meld with Lola Cherry’s focused drums and Vera Leppänen’s wonderfully playful vocals, the track gives way to a lush piano-led pre-chorus, eventually joined by rustic violin.
During its second half, ‘MadDog’ completely breaks down into a beautiful wall-of-sound-like bridge, the repeating vocal melody building with the piano and violin as the guitars fade into a sort of backing haze as the track powers on. Every musical element blends together before disintegrating into a short piano outro, a direct contrast to how the track began.
‘MadDog’ is a wonderfully dancey little encapsulation of what makes Man/Woman/Chainsaw unique compared to their peers. The band deftly and effortlessly bounce between early-to-mid 2000’s art-punk and the kind of baroque pop we’ve been getting from groups like Black Country, New Road recently, and they manage it in a way that isn’t jarring for the listener to groove along to.
Man/Woman/Chainsaw are quickly proving themselves to be one of the most interesting yet accessible acts to emerge from the UK’s experimental rock scene, and it’s exciting to know that they’re only just getting started.
‘MadDog’ is the group’s second single this year, following April’s ‘Adam & Steve’. Both tracks were also released together on a limited vinyl press of 500 copies.
