Piss on Confronting Sexual Violence: Vancouver Punk Band Channels Trauma Into Uncompromising Art

Finding a band as deliberately provocative and artistically unvarnished as Piss proves difficult. Their name—styled in all capitals, presented without apology—functions simultaneously as vulgarity, confrontation, and jest, appearing on merchandise in loopy cursive adorned with decorative bows. The Vancouver quartet constructs their sound as a relentless torrent of hardcore, spoken word, sound collage and performance art, anchored entirely by singer Taylor Zantingh's reckoning with experiences of sexual violence. Since their formation, the group has built a devoted following through live performance alone, earning a record deal with Sub Pop and preparing to release their debut album on 30 October 2026.

During their set at Eindhoven's Hit the City festival in late August 2026, the ensemble delivered a trigger warning before drummer Garreth Roberts, bassist Gavin Moya and guitarist Tyler Paterson unleashed torrents of noise-punk, interspersed with audio samples of children laughing and feminist theorist Andrea Dworkin discussing pornography. Zantingh moved across the stage with visceral intensity, clutching her torso and whipping her pigtails before descending into a state of nervous, trembling stillness. The performance functioned as a carefully constructed narrative of gender-based violence presented not as spectacle but as embodied reality, executed identically each night for the past two years.

I think a lot of people are like, 'I'm going to see a band called Piss, this is going to be craaaazy!' And it's crazy in a different way than they expect. People come for one thing and then they're forced to listen to me for half an hour.

Zantingh explained this dynamic before the Eindhoven performance, sipping chamomile tea. The band's reputation has accumulated with remarkable speed despite minimal recorded output—only a four-track demo on Bandcamp, professionally recorded live sets, and viral fan-captured footage circulating online. This trajectory led Sub Pop to sign the group in April 2026, with Paper Bag Records handling Canadian distribution.

How does the album capture the live experience?

The debut record, You Made Me / Skin on Linen, was engineered to replicate the intensity of Piss's performances as faithfully as possible. Recorded in January 2025 with Colin Stewart at Hive Creative Labs, the album features Zantingh's breathing becoming audible, her words sometimes barely escaping her throat, layered with disturbing imagery of

fingers sewn in the wrong places

and children

practising blowjobs on glue sticks

. The sonic palette merges the DIY ethos of Bikini Kill and Fugazi—bands that transformed personal experience into political statement—with the crushing heaviness of Chat Pile and Swans. Guitarist Tyler Paterson, who shaped the instrumental framework, describes his approach as film scoring.

The influences came from a lot of places to uphold the narrative that Tay is weaving. The feelings and intention come first, and the sound comes after.

Why does the band use multiple voices and samples?

Zantingh maintains that music, performance art and layered voices become necessary because the subject matter is too

monstrous

for language alone to convey. By placing her voice alongside activists, philosophers, militants, psychoanalysts and transgressive literary figures—including French philosopher Manon Garcia discussing the trial of Gisèle Pelicot—the band preserves interpretive space.

One reason I feel so strong when I'm on stage is because I've found the right way to communicate it, versus trying to confess these things in a literal sense. When I'm telling [the audience] how these events still hurt me today, and they're watching me hurt myself in real time, they're watching that injury in a very tangible way.

All lyrics and samples—which the band considers a reading list—appear prominently subtitled in their videos for both accessibility and to prevent the subject matter from being overshadowed by visuals.

I'd like to be able to print them out so people can have them at the shows – almost like a little programme, like when you go to church,

Zantingh says. The band pursues discomfort deliberately. When describing their twisted instrumentals as

gross

, drummer Garreth Roberts notes this is guitarist Tyler Paterson's

favourite word

. Zantingh's voice shifts unpredictably from soft spoken passages to chainsaw shrieks.

How does the band respond to dismissal?

Before one festival performance, men in the queue were laughing derisively about the band's name. Zantingh recalls witnessing two older men positioned at the front of a set who, upon hearing her trigger warning, called out

Woke!

and departed.

The irony is they probably need that show more than most people there, but I accepted early on that the people I want to play the set for might not be the people I can have the most impact on.

She delivers this observation with a weary smile, suggesting a hard-won acceptance of her work's limitations.

What is the personal cost of this project?

Standing at the threshold of a major label debut through one of independent music's most respected institutions, Piss confronts an uncertain trajectory.

Part of the reason we waited so long to release the record is because I don't know, and I have never known, how long I'm gonna be able to physically and emotionally do this,

Zantingh states plainly. On the track I Wanted to Be a Singer, she articulates this struggle:

I spend my life trying to turn my pain into something beautiful.

The foundation of Piss is built on my suffering. We literally cannot exist the way that we exist if you remove that.

She acknowledges this model may prove unsustainable long-term, but insists that

it's exactly what it's supposed to be

for now. The band's commitment to this approach—despite its psychological and physical demands—defines their artistic integrity.

What happens next for Piss?

You Made Me / Skin on Linen arrives on 30 October 2026 via Sub Pop (catalog no. SP1753), available in digital, vinyl, CD, and cassette formats. The album includes the single time loop at hot slit, released alongside the announcement. Piss will perform at Brighton Psych Fest on 4 September 2026 and End of the Road on 6 September 2026, followed by North American and European touring. Pre-orders are scheduled to ship on or around the release date.

Key Facts

• Piss formed in 2024 and built their reputation through live performance alone, with minimal recorded material before signing to Sub Pop in April 2026
• The debut album was recorded in January 2025 with producer Colin Stewart and features samples from philosophers, activists and literary figures discussing gender-based violence
• Zantingh's performances involve physical and emotional vulnerability, with the band executing identical sets each night to maintain narrative integrity
• The band prioritizes accessibility through subtitled lyrics and samples, treating their work as both music and educational material
• Zantingh acknowledges the unsustainable nature of building an entire artistic project on personal trauma, but views it as necessary to the band's current existence