No Grace
2016 studio album by Paws
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No Grace is the third album by Scottish band Paws. It was released on 17 June 2016 on FatCat Records.
| No Grace | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 17 June 2016 | |||
| Studio | Chem19, Glasgow | |||
| Length | 26:43 | |||
| Label | FatCat | |||
| Producer |
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| Paws chronology | ||||
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| Singles from No Grace | ||||
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Background and release
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
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
| 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
| 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
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