PAWS

Emerging from Glasgow in the early 2010s, the Scottish trio PAWS fused punk intensity with an ear for melodic pop, drawing from the textures of '90s indie rock and fuzz-pop. Their style shifted across releases, moving from raw clamor toward the expansive, polished rock of No Grace in 2016 and then toward intimate, understated material on Your Church on My Bonfire in 2019, before the core duo reconvened for a self-produced, self-titled fifth album issued in 2023.

Phillip Taylor on vocals and guitar, Josh Swinney on drums, and Matt Scott on bass began as a cabin-studio experiment that captured its first recordings during the initial rehearsal. After issuing a handful of cassettes and a split 7-inch on Edinburgh’s Gerry Loves Records, the band put out the Mermaid EP and spent the bulk of 2010 on the road. Fat Cat Records released their debut full-length, Cokefloat!, in 2012; critics responded favorably, and extensive touring across the United States and Europe alongside Japandroids, Bleached, the Breeders, and Ty Segall helped cultivate a loyal audience by 2013. When Matt Scott departed, Ryan Drever stepped in on bass.

Later that year the group headed to upstate New York to track their second album at the home studio of Mice Parade founder Adam Pierce. Youth Culture Forever appeared in 2014, earning strong notices, multiple year-end placements, and a nomination for the Scottish Album of the Year award. The band logged lengthy tours through Europe and North America, one of which coincided with a publicized scheduling conflict involving former Smiths singer Morrissey. Their third album, No Grace, finished tracking in summer 2015 yet surfaced only in 2016 under the production guidance of blink-182’s Mark Hoppus; after Ryan Drever exited, John Bonnar took over on bass.

Following a challenging stretch that included the loss of Taylor’s father, PAWS reconvened for the more introspective Your Church on My Bonfire, released in 2019. A short promotional tour followed before the members turned to other pursuits, with Taylor concentrating on painting and Swinney relocating to South London to work as a chef. The two remaining principals reunited in Taylor’s home studio in 2022 and crafted a new set that incorporated electronics and ambient layers while retaining their signature fuzzy-rock foundation. The resulting self-titled album reached stores in October 2023.