Glasgow/London duo Sacred Paws return after a five year hiatus with new single ‘Another Day‘ out now via Rock Action Records (Merge in North America). The duo of Ray Aggs (Trash Kit, Shopping) and Eilidh Rodgers (Golden Grrrls) take their roots in the punk world and wind it together with myriad influences, from Afrobeat, through pop and post-punk, to create a glorious hybrid.
Strike A Match the band’s infectious first offering, was released on Mogwai’s Rock Action label in 2017 and won the prestigious Scottish Album of the Year Award that same year. That success was quickly capitalised on with another full-length effort, the band’s second LP Run Around The Sun, which was released in 2019. More than five years have passed since that release, and while Sacred Paws’ absence wasn’t necessarily deliberate it was certainly intentional – Ray and Eilidh deciding that rather than force the work, they would take as long as they felt they needed to produce the album they knew they were capable of.
They return with new single ‘Another Day’ introducing a theme of remaining positive in the face of heartbreak. The track exemplifies a broadening shift in their palette. Gorgeous vocal harmonies and a real pop spirit are underpinned by banjo, played by Ray’s father, and fiddle that lends the track a playful edge but also a real heartfelt sheen to the whole thing; a forthright step into something bold and new.
They share the following on the new single:
“We loved how this song instantly sounded kind of country to us” they comment. “The harmonies have a really satisfying longing that sums up the emotional drive of a song about not really knowing where a new relationship is going but anticipating heartbreak. Ray added fiddle in the demo but it wasn’t until the mixing stage that we had the idea to put banjo on it. Ray has been playing music with their dad since forever but this is the first time they have been on a record together.”
Sacred Paws will return with more live shows in 2025, kicking off with two Scottish dates at the start of the year.
Sacred Paws live dates
January 2025
1 – Portobello Town Hall, Edinburgh
25 – Celtic Connections – Drygate Brewery, Glasgow
For more information on Sacred Paws please check their facebook and instagram