Sacred Paws have a signature sound, a blend of Afrobeats and highlife with a post-punk spikiness and pop melodicism. While this can be blessing, it also has its drawbacks. Any of their songs are instantly identifiable as their own work but it does mean that new releases do not contain a huge element of surprise. Thus, it is no shock that their third album, again released on Mogwai’s Rock Action label, ‘Jump Into Life’ fits this template. However, there is a definite sense of evolution as the core duo of Ray Aggs (previously of Trash Kit and Shopping) and Eilidh Rodgers (Golden Grrrls) have expanded their sound with an increased range of instrumentation including strings, banjo and fiddle added to the mix while the vocal melodies are their most complex and pleasing yet. All eleven songs make their mark quickly, never lasting much beyond three minutes. Ultimately, when their music contains so much vitality and uplifting spirit, there is no need for any major revamp.
The opening track, ‘Save Something’, is the closest they have come to writing a ballad beginning briefly with rich, mournful strings before being joined by guitar that creates a tricksy time signature. The song is the first representation of a theme that develops through the album, the contrast between the music’s joyousness and the lyric’s sentiments. There is personal dissatisfaction (“if I told you I was happy on my own / then you know I know I lied”) mixed with magnanimity (“I’ll never hold what’s in your heart / but I hope you’re somewhere you call home.”) Bringing what could be described as highlife banjo to the party, ‘Another Day’ has a soaring melody and upbeat guitar break. That giddy rush is maintained with ‘Fall For You’, full of guitars that simultaneously skip and stutter, mirroring lyrics that suggest being on a precipice whilst seeking to retain balance. With its joyous guitars and gently flowing vocals, ‘Simple Feeling’ is straight-forwardly optimistic with its “I could dance all night / with you by my side” lines. ‘Through The Dark’ is maintained by the hope that one day sadness will fall away, all the while the guitars inspire the desire to dance ecstatically.
‘Turn Me Down’ revels in interplay between horns and the guitars while the vocal harmonies reflect emotional rawness. Rarely can rejection have sounded so buoyant. The title track has positive words (“the sound of grey turning into blue”) to match the irresistible marriage of horns and guitars. ‘Slowly Slowly’ bursts with resilience (“I grow old and I grow strong… I’m taking my time”) culminating with their most punkish guitar sounds. The way in which Aggs and Rodgers’ vocals overlap gives added zest to ‘Ask Myself’, full of defiance and doubt (“there’s no way / I’ll ever believe what you said / you set me free when you let me go / it’s obvious and now I know”) in another incendiary burst of horns and guitars. For a band with a sound that is the personification of summery, ‘Winter’ is an unlikely title but it does have a bleaker feel with its “we’re not going to make it” line and emotive strings. ‘Draw A Line’ brings the curtain crashing down gloriously, albeit with the frustration that “I don’t wanna talk / I wanna shout / you found my weak spot you found me out.”)
‘Jump Into Life’ provides consistently high quality from its eleven songs. They all make their impact instantly, showing the value of music that clashes with the lyrical sentiments. It is raw yet also joyous, rapid-fire bursts of creativity and complexity that knows the value in never outstaying its welcome.
Sacred Paws: Jump Into Life – Out 28 March 2025 (Rock Action Records)
Paws – Fall for You (Official Video)
I was editor of the long-running fanzine, Plane Truth, and have subsequently written for a number of publications. While the zine was known for championing the most angular independent sounds, performing in recent years with a community samba percussion band helped to broaden my tastes so that in 2021 I am far more likely to be celebrating an eclectic mix of sounds and enthusing about Made Kuti, Anthony Joseph, Little Simz and the Soul Jazz Cuban compilations as well as Pom Poko and Richard Dawson.
