“Let’s get one thing straight. I know I shouldn’t like you,” begins the new single from Glasgow band PAWS. It’s a love song that recognizes that being in love doesn’t always yield positive results, nailing the feeling of heartache down to that gloriously descriptive title: “Owls Talons Clenching My Heart.” Lead singer Philip Taylor, singing in an echoing, Robert Pollard-esque drawl, captures the feel of a rocky relationship with a painful lyrical directness: “Everything I say or do to or for you makes me look the fool.” “And I feel bad, because you’ll be mad, and that’ll make you sad, and I don’t want to make you sad.” They’re sloppy lines, all second-guesses that run in circles of uncertainty and confusion which is precisely what makes them hit so hard and ring so true. Between this and the recently released “Tongues,” PAWS are throwing themselves right in the thick of bad vibes, and they’ve never sounded better. Listen below and check them out on tour.

04/23 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
04/24 Columbus, OH @ The Basement
04/25 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
04/26 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry
04/28 Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
04/29 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
05/01 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
05/02 Vancouver, BC @ Electric Owl
05/03 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
05/06 Santa Cruz, CA @ Catalyst Atrium
05/07 San Francisco, CA @ Independent
05/08 Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
05/09 Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
05/10 San Diego, CA @ Casbah
05/11 Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
05/14 Dallas, TX @ Dada
05/15 Austin, TX @ Red 7
05/16 Houston, TX @ Fitzgeralds
05/17 Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
05/18 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
05/19 Raleigh, NC @ Kings
05/20 Greensboro, NC @ The Blind Tiger

Youth Culture Forever is out 5/6 via FatCat.