NME’s latest star of The Cover, @, have created an exclusive playlist to accompany the story’s launch – check it out below.
The Philadelphia-based indie-folk duo are on this week’s (November 2) 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 @’s profile here, written by Spencer Hughes and featuring photography by Matt Baron.
@ – the duo of Victoria Rose and Stone Filipczak, whose band name is pronounced ‘at’ – have curated a playlist titled ‘Running Down Calliope’. It features tracks by the likes of Nina Simone, Roscoe Holcomb, Warren Zevon, Wolf Eyes, Violent Femmes and Yes, among others. Listen to the full playlist on Spotify below and on Apple Music.
Rose and Filipczak discuss their history in The Cover, reflecting on a chance meeting they shared in Boston, where they both lived at the time. “He seemed kinda extreme,” Rose says with a laugh. “He was running a lot of miles every day, and wearing kind of funky outfits. He had a braided rattail. He just seemed cool, in a way that was maybe a little different than the people that I knew at the time.”
Music naturally became a part of their friendship later down the line, and has blossomed into @, with the pair releasing their second album ‘Autosmile’ on 4AD last month. They signed with the label after their 2021 debut ‘Mind Palace Music’ became an accidental word-of-mouth success, leading to a reissue by Carpark Records in 2023. As their profile has grown and more opportunities have come their way, though, the pair have tried to stay true to their roots.
“I do think that we have made an effort to remain rooted in music communities and our particular music community,” says Filipczak. “We like to keep a foot in the DIY world just because that’s where our friends are and what we like.”
Read @’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 brand-new coffee table book NME The Cover 2025-2026, which features the likes of Westside Cowboy, Flowerovlove, Destin Conrad, Maruja, Sophia Stel and many more.
