No Grace
| No Grace | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 17 June 2016 | |||
| Studio | Chem19, Glasgow | |||
| Length | 26:43 | |||
| Label | FatCat Records | |||
| Producer | Mark Hoppus, Paws | |||
| Paws chronology | ||||
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| Singles from No Grace | ||||
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No Grace is the third album by Scottish band Paws. It was released on 17 June 2016 on FatCat Records.
Background and release[edit]
Paws released their debut Cokefloat! in October 2012, and their second album Youth Culture Forever in June 2014.[1][2] They toured both albums extensively,[3] which led to feelings of burnout.[4]
No Grace was recorded and produced by Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus.[4] The tracks "No Grace" and "Gone So Long" were released as singles in April 2016, and sold as a cassette single called No Grace Tape.[5]
Themes[edit]
Taylor told DIY that title track "No Grace" is about "touring and friends sticking it out", and that "a lot of the other songs are a mish-mash of emotions that derive from being in a band, or just things between the three of us, and what we come up against."[4] Adam Feibel of Exclaim! wrote that the album is "all about getting knocked down, picking yourself back up and taking your next swing."[6] Writing for The Line of Best Fit, Dave Beech praised a sense of carpe diem in the writing.[7]
Critical reception[edit]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.1/10[8] |
| Metacritic | 76/100[9] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The 405 | 7.5/10[10] |
| AllMusic |    [11] |
| Clash | 7/10[12] |
| DIY | [13] |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10[3] |
| Exclaim! | 7/10[6] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8/10[7] |
| The Skinny | [14] |
| Under the Radar | 8/10[15] |
On review aggregator Metacritic the album holds a score of 76/100, based on 9 reviews, indicating a "generally favorable" reception.[9] Under the Radar called No Grace a career highlight for Paws, and rated it 8/10.[15] The Skinny called the album a "breezy treat", and praised Hoppus' production work.[14] Nina Keen of DIY was critical of Taylor's shift to singing with an American accent.[13]
On 14 June 2016 Seattle radio station KEXP chose lead single "No Grace" to be their "Song of the Day", describing it as "the kind of anthem that was built to soundtrack life-changing basement shows."[16]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "No Grace" | 03:11 |
| 2. | "N/A" | 03:29 |
| 3. | "Impermanent" | 02:45 |
| 4. | "Gone So Long" | 02:17 |
| 5. | "Complete Contempt" | 03:15 |
| 6. | "Gild The Lily" | 02:57 |
| 7. | "Empire State" | 01:24 |
| 8. | "Salt Lake" | 02:16 |
| 9. | "Clarity" | 02:04 |
| 10. | "Asthmatic" | 02:58 |
| Total length: | 26:43 | |
Personnel[edit]
Paws
- Phillip Jon Taylor – vocals, guitar, lyrics
- Josh Swinney – drums
- Ryan Drever – bass
Other credits
- Phillip Jon Taylor – piano on "Impermanent"
- Mark Hoppus – additional vocals on "Impermanent"
Technical
- Mark Hoppus, Paws – production
- James Ingram – engineering
- Alan Douches – mastering
- Stephen Watkins – mixing
Artistic
- Erin McGrath – cover art, liner art
References[edit]
- ^ Mike Haydock (2012-10-02), "Cokefloat! (review)", bbc.co.uk, BBC Music, archived from the original on 2012-10-06, retrieved 2024-04-24
- ^ Youth Culture Forever at AllMusic
- ^ a b Ben Philpott (2016-06-15), "PAWS - No Grace", drownedinsound.com, Drowned in Sound, archived from the original on 2021-06-18, retrieved 2024-04-29
- ^ a b c Rhys Buchanan (2016-06-06), "Interview PAWS: "we needed the space to get our shit together"", diymag.com, DIY, retrieved 2024-04-30
- ^ Chris DeVille (2016-04-12), "PAWS – "No Grace" + "Gone So Long" (Prod. Mark Hoppus)", stereogum.com, Stereogum, archived from the original on 2024-04-30, retrieved 2024-04-30
- ^ a b Adam Feibel (2016-06-20), "PAWS - No Grace", exclaim.ca, Exclaim!, archived from the original on 2016-06-21, retrieved 2024-04-29
- ^ a b Dave Beech (2016-06-10), "PAWS "No Grace"", thelineofbestfit.com, The Line of Best Fit, archived from the original on 2016-06-11, retrieved 2024-04-29
- ^ "PAWS No Grace", anydecentmusic.com, AnyDecentMusic?, retrieved 2024-04-26
- ^ a b "No Grace by PAWS", metacritic.com, Metacritic, retrieved 2024-04-26
- ^ Jeremy Monroe (2016-06-21), "PAWS - No Grace", thefourohfive.com, The 405, archived from the original on 2016-06-24
- ^ No Grace at AllMusic
- ^ Shannon Cotton (2016-06-30), "PAWS – No Grace", clashmusic.com, Clash, archived from the original on 2024-04-29, retrieved 2024-04-29
- ^ a b Nina Keen (2016-06-10), "PAWS - No Grace", diymag.com, DIY, archived from the original on 2024-04-29, retrieved 2024-04-29
- ^ a b Will Fitzpatrick (2016-05-31), "PAWS – No Grace", theskinny.co.uk, The Skinny, archived from the original on 2016-06-01, retrieved 2024-04-29
- ^ a b Marty Hill (2016-07-11), "PAWS No Grace", undertheradarmag.com, Under the Radar, archived from the original on 2016-07-12, retrieved 2024-04-29
- ^ Jacob Webb (2016-06-14), "Song of the Day: PAWS - No Grace", kexp.org, KEXP, archived from the original on 2024-04-30, retrieved 2024-04-20