Avery Tucker - Paw

'Paw' marks a quiet but weighty turning point for Avery Tucker. After nearly a decade as one half of Girlpool – a band defined by their raw intimacy and sonic evolution – this debut solo album finds Tucker stepping into his own shadow. It’s not a reinvention so much as a return: to instinct, to imperfection, to the original spark that set everything off.

'Like I’m Young' opens with a satisfyingly heavy kick-in, giving way to 'Malibu', an early highlight full of vivid storytelling and a cinematic sense of place. Tucker’s voice, always a divisive point, is pushed right to the front, often cracked and imperfect. It wouldn’t make it through the audition stage of The X Factor; these songs are lived-in, not lab-tested.

There’s an elegance to the writing throughout: 'Knots' (featuring Alaska Reid) is full of lyrical gems, turning over emotions with quiet grace. Tucker explores themes of growth, self-criticism and the fallout of identity shifts, often blurring personal history and poetic ambiguity. 'In The Smoke' touches on the end of Girlpool and everything that followed, part reflection, part farewell.

The collaborative feel is central here. Alongside Reid, the album features Katie Gavin of MUNA on the soft-focus 'Angel', Aaron Maine of Porches on 'Baby Broke', and production contributions from A. G. Cook. There’s a warmth to all this; a support network sewn into the record’s seams.

But while 'Paw' starts strong, its second half drifts and the album’s lo-fi edges, charming at first, begin to feel a bit stretched. It’s indulgent, in that classic debut-album way. Still, there’s something compelling here: it won’t be for everyone, but if you connect with it, you might fall hard.