By: Sarah Swetz

Earlier this year, the post-hardcore band Shania Twainsaw Massacre from Bristol released a single, Dog-Friendly Bone Museum off of their sophomore EP Horsemaning. The five member band is made up of Connie Fairburn (vocals), Nick Fairburn (guitar), Ellis Fitzgerald (guitar), Tamlin Sinclair (bass), and Sam Harbridge (drums). Now, on August 21st, Horsemaning is finally here. The EP was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Rowan Deverson who is well known to the band having worked on their first EP as well. The EP features four tracks, each with an emotional punch.

The opening track Fresh starts of by hypnotizing the listener with a vocal and musical trance. It touches on feelings of an inescapable mistake and facing consequences when you don’t want to be in the situation in the first place.

The second track, Bloat, switches things up. The tune accelerates, becomes more intense and more emotional. It deals with a very difficult subject commenting on the cycle of what it is like to live with a binge-eating disorder. It doesn’t back away from tough conversation, and maintains a pop guitar melody with a hardcore breakdown in the middle – balancing the cyclical feel of the disease.

The next track is the chaotic Dog-Friendly Bone Museum that we reviewed earlier this year. The track fits so well into this EP – see the full review here.

The fourth and final track on the EP is nosebleeds. This song has been dipped in grunge. It’s a very technical song with crazy sharp rhythms and crazy musicality. The lyrics touch on a slew of human emotions and jealousy paired with lack of confidence while watching other people succeed where you fail. It’s a very relatable track that is infectious to listen to.

Every track on Horsemaning’ is an emotional roller coaster paired with chaotic instrumentation. It’s a hard-core mix of guitar, baselines, and percussion that pair well with the intensity of the lyrics.