PAWS
Youth Culture Forever
Reviewed by: Lara Supan
Well, if you could understand any of the words they were singing, I bet they’d be good ones.
Youth Culture Forever really surprised me because PAWS advertises themselves as a punk rock band. Instead of that, this album displays some low key, melodic gems that have a distinct Weezer quality about them. The only problem is the excessive amount of distortion on the vocals in each and every song, making it absolutely impossible to understand any of what PAWS is trying to convey. This makes every song bleed into the next, and you might forget you’re listening by the end of the album.
Although this would apply to the majority of the album, “Let’s All Let Go” is as good an example as any of their creative instrumentation and “reckless-abandon” percussion, which is definitely a fun and energetic combination. The innovative, driving beat and uplifting vocals will have you on your feet and moving and it’s obvious that PAWS knows what they’re doing in the instrumental world of punk rock. The one line I could understand was in “Youth Culture Forever”, which went “I know I’ve said this in a song before, but f**k it, life goes on.” Told you they would be good lyrics. The last song, however, is a complete change from the rest of the album and will shock you if you’re not expecting it. “War Cry” is a little (or a lot) screamy and abrasive comparatively- definitely worth skipping over. Just pretend it’s not there and you’ll have a nice, cohesive album.
Youth Culture Forever is real quality music. It’s too bad they sound like they’re stuck in a tin can. If anyone ever deciphers the lyrics, I’d love to read them!
Rating: Listenable
