PAWS are children of the 1990s-- that much should be obvious from the first seconds of the Glaswegian trio's debut, Cokefloat!. "Catherine 1956" leads proceedings with the kind of dirt-caked guitar progression and proudly imperfect, nasal vocalizing that will never be attributed to the present time no matter how enduring its pleasures. But here, "children of the 90s" is much more meaningful in the literal sense: Lead singer Philip Taylor was born in 1990 (the other members of PAWS are 23 and 26) and has no qualms about acting his age. That's the important thing to remember, since Cokefloat! unabashedly revels and wallows in its own youthful confusion. It's alternately thrilling and mildly embarrassing, but the way PAWS are able to come across as flawed people rather than the sums of their CD collection makes Cokefloat! stand out despite doing absolutely nothing new.
While J Mascis and Mac McCaughan taught these 90s children how to riff and that a catchy lead run can suffice where a chorus might otherwise, pop-punk acts like blink-182 taught them how to rant-- bands that are rightfully coming to the fore as influences on a lot of young guitar acts who realize straightforward hooks and shamelessly literal lyrics are often more effective than obtuseness and metaphor. When Taylor shouts, "I've turned my woes into singalongs," during "Homecoming", it's to be taken at face value. Because the songs on Cokefloat! aren't particularly sharp, clever or the work of a meticulous melodic craftsman. No, they're as blustery, blunt, and obvious as the emotions described therein and all the better for it, since it's lyrics that really establish a foothold for the listener at the points during Cokefloat! when the familiarity of the music can make it seem less distinctive than it really is.
You're undoubtedly supposed to pump your fist as Taylor sings, "tell all your buddies that I'm over it," during the chorus of "Homecoming", having forgotten the first line is "it's been at least 10 years and I'm still holding a grudge." Indeed, a lot of Cokefloat! is pissy stuff, wherein girls, parents, and basically relating to other people is an unyielding source of misery and misunderstanding. Amidst its surging riffs, "Pony" is indicative of a certain kind of youthful judgment, where people are turned into caricatures of their beauty or financial comfort and used as projections for resentment ("Hey there little dolly girl/ Please don't stomp and shout/ Mum and dad still pay your rent/ Don't fuck me around"). If you're unconvinced that this is stay-in-your-room shit written after the fact, try "Get Bent", the "ballad" where Taylor's can't even pretend to hide his paternal umbrage. "'Why do you spend all your free time in your room?'/ Well maybe if you had spent some time on me you could've knew!" he yells, while a droning, toy keyboard emerges as Cokefloat!'s single "studio effect." The climactic hook could be a field recording from a brutal answering machine message 12 beers in: "FUCK YOU I DON'T NEED YOU ANYWAY."
But PAWS' youth mostly manifests itself in how their true emotions can't help but occasionally undermine the sullen, outcast facade they're trying to project. The truly revelatory moments on Cokefloat! arrive when the subject matter that typically inspires the most venomous tirades comes together for the frankly astonishing "Catherine 1956" and "Bloodline". On the former, Taylor's mother is given a fittingly personal and touching tribute after succumbing to cancer, and he goes on to commemorate her as someone who gave legitimate encouragement informed by her own disappointments. Less overtly anthemic, but no less cathartic, the double-time "Bloodline" exhibits tough love from both sides-- Taylor grouses, "You'll say you're fine/ We know you're not fine/ When this kicks in/ It's goodbye," while remembering a happier moment, "You raised me to be what I wanted to be/ You said 'if you want it so bad then prove to me.'"
They're not the best songs on Cokefloat! because they're the kindest; that's just a coincidence. It's more in how PAWS find room to be multifaceted, to let multiple emotions conflict rather than resolve or be quarantined. You'll feel something in some way, whereas a lot of Cokefloat! might be a non-starter if you find either PAWS' influences or angst to be played out. Cokefloat! is not always admirable but it's emotionally open, and as they say, I guess this is growing up.
