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Stream PAWS’ Thrilling ‘Youth Culture Forever’ Album

PAWS, youth culture forever

Last fall, SPIN visited PAWS in an upstate New York studio, where they were busy hammering out their second album. “It’s louder than the last record, but it’s quieter than the last record,” bassist Ryan Drever said. “It’s faster than the last record, but it’s slower than the last record. Every song is quite different, but then at the same time it’s the same.”

Indeed, the Glaswegian garage-pop trio’s soon-to-be-released sophomore LP, Youth Culture Forever, is a bolder, more dynamic beast than its predecessor, 2012’s sweetly scruffy Cokefloat! LP. Yawning cello lines weave in and out of several of the upcoming album’s 12 tracks; drummer Josh Swinney’s thrashy percussion packs a heftier punch; and the vocals, courtesy of singer-guitarist Phillip Taylor, carry a new level of confidence. Whether he’s howling about funerals and shallow graves (see the swooning, moonlit “Alone”) or barking about a breakup as if it’s just cause for a generational uprising (see, well, most of the other songs), Taylor sounds like he’s singing through an intercom system — all the better to incite a teenage riot.

Youth Culture Forever lands in the U.S. on May 6 and the U.K. on June 2 by way of FatCat Records, but you can stream the entire album right here, right now. Scroll down, press play, and enjoy.