Some band names are too good to ignore, but this Bristol-based band is far more than a great pun - they’ve just released one of the most thrilling and harrowing debut EPs in recent memory. Denature is a 12-minute blast of shoegaze-tinged post-hardcore, set apart by its clarity of vision. This is vegan punk taken to its most extreme and effective form, told through the eyes of a pig about to be slaughtered. The concept runs through all four tracks, depicting the suffering in vivid, unflinching detail - its death, its body being used for food and cosmetics, and the final indignity of being discarded as waste. While the band delivers a storm of thunderous riffs and walls of distortion, the singer remains restrained, almost helpless like the pig itself, creating a striking juxtaposition. Beauty Creams is an immediate highlight, merging horror with catchiness. A biting critique of the way humans repurpose animals for vanity, turning carcasses into anti-aging products, with upbeat, pop-leaning hooks and grunge energy that recalls the best of Hole.

The band channels their message through exhilarating songwriting, razor-sharp dynamics, and an impeccable sense of tension and release. For a debut EP, Denature is staggeringly well-formed, managing to be both both deeply unsettling and thrillingly fun. With its mixture of shoegaze textures, grunge hooks, and hardcore urgency, it’s as musically captivating as it is thematically powerful. Whether they continue down this path of animal rights storytelling or expand their themes, one thing is certain: The Shania Twainsaw Massacre are a band to keep a close eye on.