As Billy Nomates, singer/songwriter Tor Maries makes music brimming with justified anger, cathartic humor, and the honesty that comes with having nothing to lose. Unlike many of her detached and abstract contemporaries in the U.K. post-punk scene, her refreshingly direct songwriting feels shaped by lived experience. She telegraphed the years spent frustrated and creatively unfulfilled on singles like "No" and on 2020's spartan debut album Billy Nomates, which showcased her matter-of-fact sprechgesang and sweet, surprisingly twangy harmonies as she connected the dots between Thatcher, Brexit, classism, and sexism. Nomates expanded her sound on 2021's Emergency Telephone, adding more melody and atmosphere. With 2023's Cacti, she leaned into her pop and Americana influences, proving the only rulebook Billy Nomates follows is her own.