{"id":5713,"date":"2025-10-15T18:15:44","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T18:15:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/?p=5713"},"modified":"2025-10-20T12:25:35","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T12:25:35","slug":"avery-tucker-scratches-the-walls-on-paw-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/15\/avery-tucker-scratches-the-walls-on-paw-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Avery Tucker Scratches the Walls on &#039;Paw&#039;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/assets.rebelmouse.io\/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy82MTc1NjM4OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgxMjU3MTQ1OX0.s5TuWjm65nFvXLOqOs3Bu9qLlMR9JFcUjvwakT_qC_E\/img.jpg?width=1245&amp;height=700&amp;coordinates=0%2C148%2C0%2C149\"><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/av33333ry\/?hl=en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><u>Avery Tucker<\/u><\/a>\u2019s words feel strained on his debut album, <em>Paw<\/em> \u2014 each syllable comes out slowly, as if the mere act of his vocalizing takes effort. Or maybe it\u2019s simply that each word has a certain heft to it, written with an intention and ardor that lends his songs a certain sturdy physicality.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s Tucker\u2019s first solo record, though he\u2019s already released five with Girlpool, his former band with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/harmonytividad\/?hl=en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><u>Harmony Tividad<\/u><\/a>, between 2014 and 2022. Girlpool\u2019s music bristled with a youthful, nervy energy, due in part to the fact that the band formed while Tividad and Tucker were still in high school. <\/p>\n<p><em>Paw<\/em>, on the other hand, feels steady and rooted. That more measured energy doesn&#8217;t mean there is no danger to this album. Like its titular \u201cpaw,\u201d these songs can cut. Album opener \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=25Jal6BkTV8\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><u>Like I\u2019m Young<\/u><\/a>,\u201d begins with Tucker circling around the dual experience of physical connection and mental anguish (\u201cLike I&#8217;m young I touch you with my tongue\/How do you like it now? Keep wondering with my face on your mouth\/If you want something else\u201d).<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"rm-shortcode\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"07ad29c2af4f130c6307e1b4dd27a2a2\" style=\"position:relative;padding-top:56.25%\"><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Avery Tucker - Angel (feat. Katie Gavin) [Official Video]\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ywSaUi9uzy4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Tucker\u2019s words and voice are front and center in the project, but he still had the support and backing of a cast of collaborators, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/alaskareid\/?hl=en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><u>Alaska Reid<\/u><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/katiegavs\/?hl=en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><u>Katie Gavin<\/u><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/porches_hiii\/?hl=en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><u>Aaron Maine (Porches)<\/u><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/agcook404\/?hl=en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><u>A.G. Cook<\/u><\/a>. Reid in particular helped Tucker \u201cunlock the energy of <em>Paw<\/em>,\u201d co-producing the album over a series of sessions in Los Angeles and Montanna. \u201c[Alaska] really expanded the process, something felt cosmic when we started collaborating,\u201d shares Tucker. \u201cIt felt like I had met my match for the album pretty immediately.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Album-closer \u201cMy Life Isn\u2019t Leaving You\u201d is produced by PC Music wizard A.G. Cook, who helped Tucker craft his thrashing final\u00e9. \u201cA. G. [cook] came with Alaska and I to Montana and he would come upstairs and have ideas that genuinely blew my mind,\u201d recalls Tucker. \u201cHis default instincts are comically brilliant, it actually makes me laugh thinking how often I\u2019d be in awe after he\u2019d weigh in and put his hands on the music.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>But even as their moments of uproar and release on <em>Paw<\/em> break through, there are other songs that evoke the spectrum of an animal\u2019s actions, like the growling \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7BMa7gat5s0\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><u>Malibu<\/u><\/a>,\u201d the joyous yelps of \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=G9VQVJ6Yfo4\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><u>Big Drops<\/u><\/a>,\u201d or the scampering trot of the Katie Gavin-assisted \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ywSaUi9uzy4\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><u>Angel<\/u><\/a>.\u201d But whether it\u2019s a moment of bombast or intimacy, each moment on this record pulses with quiet power.<\/p>\n<p><em>PAPER<\/em> chatted with Tucker about making his debut record as a solo artist, assembling his collaborators and leaning into confrontation.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>How did embarking on this musical journey solo, rather than with a creative partner, shape your writing on Paw?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Building the songs on my own was an opportunity for me to work a muscle that I didn\u2019t really have to when I was forming songs with Harmony in Girlpool. There is this level of anonymity when you\u2019re in a band. In every decision there is a little less responsibility because the listener can wonder, \u201cMaybe that was the other person in the band&#8217;s choice.\u201d The challenge to get a solo album across the finish line allured me and I wanted to do that. I still had a lot of support and was able to workshop the songs that I needed to with Alaska and other friends who I admire. <\/p>\n<p><strong>You were in a cycle of touring and releasing records for so long with Girlpool. What was it like to create in a quieter space outside of that busy cycle?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Underneath the thrill of change I felt fear for sure. Girlpool started while I was still in high school so when I decided to take the leap of faith and step into the unknown I felt daunted but eager for the challenge. I knew I had a lot I needed to explore on my own. It\u2019s been confrontational in a really rich way.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"rm-shortcode lazyload\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"fbe9c98e18ce247ea44aba4a685906f3\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" id=\"59383\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/img-58.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><strong>I&#8217;m struck by the frankness of the writing on this record. So much of it is written in second person and it&#8217;s a really intimate and striking experience for the listener. What inspired you to take such a direct approach in writing here?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I really just followed the pull. I think the season I was in while writing <em>Paw<\/em> was confrontational in a lot of ways \u2014 maybe the discomfort of the moment stretched me into writing more directly about my experience. It\u2019s hard to say, it all blends in.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"rm-shortcode lazyload\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"a37573a013cb816200e00b9c2d6f9a7f\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" id=\"a3b07\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/img-59.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Even though this is a solo record, you brought in a really impressive group of people as collaborators. Tell me about how you formed your creative community in this process and how your collaborators shaped the record? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I love collaborating with friends and I\u2019m so grateful for the people in my life that inspire me. I met Alaska [Reid] a couple years ago at a show she played and we quickly hit it off and wrote the song \u201cKnots\u201d together. We recorded it and both had a fulfilling time co-producing so we decided to produce my whole album together. She really expanded the process, something felt cosmic when we started collaborating. It felt like I had met my match for the album pretty immediately. We traveled between Montana and Los Angeles together and her dedication to helping me bring these songs to life in an authentic way was a driving force in me realizing the album. I remember one night in Montana Alaska and I stayed up until early in the morning, it was snowing outside and we sat in the living room playing \u201cSunkiss.\u201d She was playing a Casio creating a melody while I played acoustic guitar and sang. I have so many cool memories of us unlocking the energy of Paw together.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/katiegavs\/?hl=en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><u>Katie [Gavin]<\/u><\/a> and I met years ago and became close friends. I wrote the song \u201cAngel\u201d the day after we hung out, she just felt connected to that song. After I saw her play the fiddle, I really wanted to do something together on the album. I was listening to a lot of Gillian Welch and was used to singing along and harmonizing to her songs while driving in my car. I had a vision of Katie doing that on the song \u201cAngel.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/porches_hiii\/?hl=en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><u>Aaron [AKA Porches]<\/u><\/a> and I met about a decade ago in Northern California on tour. I think I was 18. We did some touring together (Girlpool\/Porches). He feels like a soul brother. I\u2019m a huge fan of Aaron\u2019s songwriting and I feel so blessed to witness him and his music bloom all these years. He inspires me so wildly- I love our friendship and I love bouncing songs off of him. A. G. came with Alaska and I to Montana and he would come upstairs and have ideas that genuinely blew my mind. His default instincts are comically brilliant, it actually makes me laugh thinking how often I\u2019d be in awe after he\u2019d weigh in and put his hands on the music. I\u2019m super grateful to have him involved in the making of Paw.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"rm-shortcode lazyload\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"b248302392115356ac530e9cc619f305\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" id=\"c31a6\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/img-60.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><em>Photography by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/petrafcollins\/?hl=en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Petra Collins<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Avery Tucker\u2019s words feel strained on his debut album, Paw \u2014 each syllable comes out slowly, as if the mere act of his vocalizing takes effort. Or maybe it\u2019s simply that each word has a certain heft to it, written with an intention and ardor that lends his songs a certain sturdy physicality. It\u2019s Tucker\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5713"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5715,"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5713\/revisions\/5715"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.unlockingsite.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}