Sacred Paws is a Scottish rock band, comprising
Ray Aggs (guitar, bass, vocals) and Eilidh Rodgers (drums, vocals), who met as members of the band Golden Grrrls. Their debut album ''Strike a Match'' won the 2017
Scottish Album of the Year Award
The Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award is an award given annually for an outstanding album produced by a Scottish artist. The award was launched in 2012 by thScottish Music Industry Association(SMIA) in partnership with Creative Scotland
Cre ...
.
History
Sacred Paws were born from the ashes of
Ray Aggs' (vocals, guitar) and Eilidh Rodgers' (vocals, drums) previous indie pop group Golden Grrrls. Despite Aggs living in London and Rodgers in Glasgow they set about recording their debut EP after signing to the
Mogwai
Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mog ...
-owned label Rock Action. They released a 6-track EP, ''Six Songs'', in 2015, followed by a single, "Everyday" in 2016.
They then embarked on a U.K. tour in support of the record, during which they played alongside acts like Mogwai
Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mog ...
, Veronica Falls, Tuff Love, and Future Islands
Future Islands is an American synth-pop band based in Baltimore, Maryland, comprising Gerrit Welmers (keyboards and programming), William Cashion (bass, acoustic and electric guitars), Samuel T. Herring (lyrics and vocals), and Michael Lowry (p ...
. In the same year they also performed a BBC 6 Music session for DJ Marc Riley
Marc Riley (born 10 July 1961 in Manchester) is an English radio DJ, alternative rock critic, musician, and former music businessman. He currently presents on BBC Radio 6 Music.
Formerly a member of the Fall, he co-owned a record label, In-Ta ...
, and appeared at Glasgow's Celtic Connections
The Celtic Connections festival started in 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland, and has since been held every January. Featuring over 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops, the festival focuses on the roots of tra ...
Festival.
Aggs continued to play in both Shopping
Shopping is an activity in which a customer browses the available goods or services presented by one or more retailers with the potential intent to purchase a suitable selection of them. A typology of shopper types has been developed by scho ...
and Trash Kit, but in spite of this, they and Rodgers were dedicated enough to find the time to record Sacred Paws' debut LP. In 2016, they issued two singles in advance of the album's release, ''"Everyday"'' and ''"Rest"''.
Their first full-length album ''Strike a Match'' (released 27 January 2017) combines an Afrobeat
Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersectin ...
sound influenced by Fela Kuti with post-punk and indie resembling the likes of Delta 5
Delta 5 was an English post-punk band from Leeds.
Career
Delta 5 was formed from the same art school scene at Leeds University as Gang of Four and The Mekons. The original members of Delta 5, Julz Sale (vocals/guitar), Ros Allen (bass) and Be ...
. It was produced by Tony Doogan
Tony Doogan is a Scottish record producer who runs Castle of Doom Studios in Glasgow. He is perhaps best known for his work with Mogwai and Belle & Sebastian. He has also worked with numerous other artists, including Teenage Fanclub, the Delgados, ...
and released on Rock Action, record label of the Scottish band Mogwai
Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mog ...
. It was recorded at Mogwai's Castle of Doom studio and mastered at Abbey Road Studios.
It scored 81/100 on Metacritic based on 7 reviews. Pitchfork scored it 7.7/10.[ MusicOHM scored it 4/5 stars, calling it "hugely satisfying", "ballsy and defiant".]
On 29 January 2019 they shared a new track, ‘Brush Your Hair’ with a new album expected to follow.
On 28 February 2019 during a BBC 6 Music session for Marc Riley they played "Brush Your Hair", "The Conversation" and "Strike A Match".
On 20 March 2019 the band announced their next album ''Run Around the Sun'' would be released on 31 May, as well as sharing the studio recording of new single "The Conversation".
Discography
Albums
* ''Strike a Match'' – Rock Action, 12" LP, CD, MP3 (2017)
* ''Run Around the Sun'' – Rock Action (UK/EU) / Merge Records
Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expande ...
(US), 12" LP, CD, MP3 (2019)
EPs
* ''Six Songs'' – Rock Action, 12" EP, MP3 (2015)[
]
Singles
* "Everyday" – Rock Action, 7", MP3 (2015)[
* "Brush Your Hair'' – Rock Action (UK/EU) / Merge (US), MP3 (2019)]
* "The Conversation" – Rock Action (UK/EU) / Merge (US), MP3 (2019)
References
{{Authority control
Musical groups from Glasgow
Scottish indie rock groups
Rock Action Records artists
Scottish Album of the Year Award winners