NME’s latest stars of The Cover, Static Dress, have created an exclusive playlist to accompany the story’s launch – check it out below.
The post-hardcore band are on this week’s (May 4) 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 Static Dress’ profile here, written by Rishi Shah and featuring photography by Olli Appleyard.
Alongside The Cover, the group have curated a playlist titled ‘Real Emo (Modern Day Edition)’, featuring songs by the likes of Blood Orange, High Vis, Mk.gee, Dream Fatigue, Jim Legxacy, and Puma Blue, among others. Listen to the full playlist on Spotify below and on Apple Music.
Static Dress’ appearance on The Cover arrives ahead of their second album, ‘Injury Episode’, which was announced earlier this year at a phone-free event in London that saw fans play the band’s self-made video game and watch an early screening of a film they’ve created to accompany the record. Their creative output – including their Cover shoot – is directed by frontman Olli Appleyard. “The minute I let control go somewhere else, it loses all meaning,” he explains. “I don’t want to be walked over. We’ve had people in the industry actively try to ruin us before, because they don’t like that we didn’t let them in.”
For Appleyard, taking the reins of the entire Static Dress universe has “always been about building a world and identity,” comparing it to a fashion brand or, in a callback to his youth, the 2002 Spider-Man film franchise and its all-encompassing takeover of merch, posters, and toys. “I want to let people get lost in their own way to our stuff and inspire people to do the same thing. It’s about inspiration, not admiration… it wasn’t, ‘Oh, I want to be famous.’ Because I want the opposite of that.”
Read Static Dress’ 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.