On October 27th Scottish alternative rock band PAWS will release their new self-titled album via Ernest Jenning Record Co. and the band’s own Wish Fulfillment Press. Today the band have shared the album’s first single “Disenchanted” and its accompanying video.

A disorientated alienation stalks first single “Disenchanted.” “What and who are we as human beings?” Phillip sings above a full throttled punk assault that drops before the two-minute mark while the duo still have breath in their lungs. “That was the first song we wrote and recorded for the album” explains Phillip. “Josh was visiting and we spent all weekend chilling and catching up. Then a few hours before he had to head south again, we just decided to have a quick jam. I played bass and because I have my wee studio set up to record, we just naturally structured a song and tracked it really quickly. It was really liberating.” It also provided the template upon which the rest of the record was built. “If we didn’t like the take or part listening back, we did it again until we were happy and boosted on to the next thing. It was definitely a refreshing way for us to work I found and just allowed us to do what we love.”

Following the release of their fourth LP, 2019’s Your Church On My Bonfire, PAWS – the Scottish DIY indie rock songwriting partnership of Phillip Jon Taylor and Joshua Swinney, toured briefly, and as the world began to shut down, they slipped out of sight. Phillip retreated north to the Highlands where he focused on his painting, solo work and the rewarding demands of fatherhood. Josh headed south to London, pursuing his other passion as a chef at the highly acclaimed Plimsoll. It would have been easy for both to settle into their new lives, but PAWS never died…and neither did the tie connecting the two friends.

Having missed playing together for too long, a plan was set and in October 2022 Josh travelled to Phillip’s home studio in his Crofters cottage where work began on the band’s fifth self-titled LP. Relying on a set of phone demos and chemistry honed after years on the road the songs came together surprisingly fast.

PAWS UK Tour Dates:
August 26 – Edinburgh @ Connect Festival – Tiny Changes Stage
December 13 – London @ Sebright Arms

Stream “Disenchanted” HERE.