PAWS – Your Church On My Bonfire
Phillip Taylor proves his mettle as a great songwriter on PAWS' new album Your Church On My Bonfire, but it's somewhat distracting how similar it feels to a Frightened Rabbit record
PAWS have carved themselves a niche cult fanbase over their previous three solid albums, one that has regularly threatened an explosion. For instance, the Mark Hoppus-of-Blink 182-produced No Grace put the Glasgow pop-punk trio on a lot more people's radars, while 2014's Youth Culture Forever allowed them to tour in the States and support the likes of We Are Scientists and The Cribs, but they've never quite hit the same level of popularity.
So Your Church on My Bonfire, their fourth album, sees a few necessary changes. It's their first record not signed to FatCat Records; as well as their new label, PAWS also have a new bassist and sound. Recording this time with Frightened Rabbit's Andy Monaghan, PAWS have emulated the sound of the sadly departed Scottish act in a similar way they bordered on Blink with their previous record.
It's not a huge problem – this cleaner more folk-rock approach suits PAWS well, given lead vocalist Phillip Taylor's often emotionally fraught lyrics and vocal style works justs as well in softer surroundings. Taylor proves his mettle as a great songwriter on tracks such as The Watering Hole or What We Want, but it's somewhat distracting how similar Your Church On My Bonfire feels to a Frightened Rabbit record.
Listen to: The Watering Hole, What We Want, Not Goodbye (See You Later)