NME’s latest stars of The Cover, Ebbb, have created an exclusive playlist to accompany the story’s launch – check it out below.
READ MORE: Ebbb’s euphoric synth-pop hits you where it hurts
The rising London trio are on this week’s (June 29) edition of The Cover, a manifestation of NME’s commitment to supporting emerging talent across the globe on a weekly basis. Every week, a rising artist will feature on The Cover – you can read Ebbb’s profile here, written by Huw Baines and featuring photography by Eddie Miles.
Alongside their The Cover story, Ebbb have curated an exclusive playlist, titled ‘Ebbb’s Bittersweet Anthems’. The selection includes songs from artists such as Akira Yamaoka, Broadcast, Cocteau Twins, Pale Saints and more. Listen to the full playlist on Spotify below and on Apple Music.
Tipped in the NME 100 of 2025, Ebbb have hooks for miles, a complementary sense of formal adventure and virtuosic musical chops that have already secured them a deal with Ninja Tune and a hand-picked support slot with Radiohead offshoot The Smile. But it’s the trio’s ability to turn vocalist Will Rowland’s lacerating, intensely personal lyrics into communal happenings live, dialling up that early-hours emotional weight so that it chimes with hundreds of people at once, that really sets them apart.
“The songs, from my point of view, always start off as this very private, introspective act,” Rowland says. “I’ll sit in my room and write lyrics over a period of time, really craft them. Then there is this purging when it gets brought to the stage. I love that dissonance between the euphoric production and the internal lyrical voice.” Completed by producer Lev Ceylan and drummer Scott MacDonald, Ebbb initially forged a rep as a sense-shattering live band, with MacDonald’s dextrous playing clattering into Ceylan’s chaotically rhythmic synths.
Beyond the detail in their sound, from the warmth and humanity of MacDonald’s drums to Rowland’s lattice-like vocal arrangements, their writing is informed by rich, idiosyncratic personal histories that they have somehow managed to slot together, the joins barely visible. As a result, they are making pop music that is wired differently. “It wasn’t until I started doing sessions as a producer that [I realised] I can’t put a gabber beat in a verse,” Ceylan admits. “I’m kind of learning backwards.”
Read Ebbb’s full Cover story here and find out who else has been on The Cover here.
Every year, NME produces 50 Cover stories, showcasing the future of music via in-depth profiles and exclusive photoshoots. Check out our coffee table book NME The Cover 2024-2025, which features the likes of Kneecap, Lola Young, Amaarae, LE SSERAFIM, Oklou and many more.
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