post-punk duo sacred paws find joy in their anxieties

This is what I want it to feel like inside my head all the time. There’s an infectious unabashed joy to Sacred Paws’ music. It jumps out of every chord and dance beat on their debut full length Strike A Match.

Lead singer and guitarist Rachel Aggs (also of the great post-punk outfit Shopping.) mixes highlife rhythms with a stark energy reminiscent of The Evens. Whether singing about love, anxiety, hope, or powerlessness, their music is the antidote to whatever anxious thoughts trouble Rachel Aggs in the lyrics. The vocal lines between her and drummer Eilidh Rogers are serpentine, criss-crossing at odd angles. The best moments tend to come not when they’re in perfect sync but when they play off eachother as on the title track and the stressed out “Empty Body.” Songs with lines like “When stuff goes wrong / It makes me feel useless,” has no business being so effervescent, but maybe they should.