PAWS – PAWS LP (Ernest Jenning Record Co.)

PAWS recently released their brand new self-titled album, serving as a perfect follow-up to their previous recordings, such as Cokefloat, Youth Culture Forever, No Grace, and Your Church On My Bonfire. Still, this new material carries many innovations in songwriting, composing, arranging, recording, and producing. PAWS age like a fine wine, evolving with every new record. For those stumbling upon this outstanding Scottish band for the first time, PAWS loves experimentation with different music genres. Maybe some form of punk rock comes to mind first, but you’ll notice how some of the finest qualities of pop-punk, post-punk, art-punk, experimental rock, noise rock, garage rock, indie rock, and alternative found their way into this sonic equation. This band is so unique that you’ll have many difficulties categorizing them into a singular genre, but they put a lot of time, ideas, and effort into their music, so this material sounds exceptional by all means.

PAWS nurture their unique sound, and they’re doing it pretty damn well. Right with the initial notes and beats, you’ll notice these folks are not joking around with their music. The duo incorporated many mesmerizing chord progressions, riffs, melodies, harmonies, themes, and leads, which serve as a perfect backdrop for their anthemic vocal harmonies. Both band members skillfully decorate every segment of these songs with their outstanding vocal performances, but they shine the brightest during the singalongs. Their voices work flawlessly together, giving these songs more complexity and power. Each composition comes with so many arpeggiated and regular chord progressions, empowered by catchy themes and leads. Their ideas might resemble something emo, indie, and post-hardcore bands would usually incorporate, but PAWS does it freshly and uniquely, and these instrumentations undoubtedly work to the advantage of these songs.

Of course, you’ll notice how equally complex, vividly hearable, warm-sounding basslines offer more than necessary heaviness, depth, and clarity, but also act as a binding element between guitars and drums. The outstanding drumming performance provides groove and pace through an entire amalgam of energetic, well-accentuated beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics. The rhythm section plays a significant role in this sonic equation and immensely supports guitars from scratch to finish. PAWS thought about every detail while writing, composing, arranging, and producing these songs. Their ability to deliver a fresh perspective on so many music genres at once goes beyond comprehension so many times throughout the entire album. Their impressive ideas, exceptional musicianship, and sense for assembling meaningful songs where melody and aggression harmoniously collide will immediately grab your attention. The album is available on beautiful evergreen vinyl, compact disc, cassette, and streaming platforms. Head to Ernst Jenning Record Co. for more information about ordering or grabbing a vinyl directly from PAWS’ Bandcamp page.