Your Church On My Bonfire
Ernest Jenning
2019
Rating: 7 fixed conglomerates out of 10
Most know Paws as a pop-punk band from Scotland. Not that kind of pop punk, the kind you think of when you first hear that genre name mentioned, the kind that go on the Warped tour and put their releases out on Fat Wreck Chords. But it’s still an apt descriptor given their music (a) on the punk spectrum and (b) the songs are usually really goddamn catchy. The thing is, on their most recent offering “Your Church On My Bonfire,” Paws have shifted their location on that pop punk spectrum WAY more towards the pop end. I’m not complaining – it’s the hooks that drew me to this band in the first place, and there are still plenty of those on this fourth full-length release from this trio of Glaswegians. Standout tracks like “Not Enough” and “Honoured To Be Honest” still feel enough like classic Paws to hold the attention of old fans, but the mellower, more somber vibe definitely dominate the bulk of the album. It made sense after listening to “Your Church On My Bonfire” a few times that I found out Frightened Rabbit’s Andy Monaghan recorded the record, because…well, Frightened Rabbit is exactly the best comparison to this new, softer version of Paws. Which is fine, and honestly wouldn’t have been a surprising natural progression for the group even without the obvious connection, but once you hear it you can’t un-hear it.
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