Avery Tucker Comes Full Circle with His Solo Debut, Paw
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Avery Tucker’s first spark for music came early. At seven years old, after seeing Joan Armatrading perform at a Borders Books, he begged his parents for an acoustic guitar from a local toy shop. That image of possibility quietly set everything in motion.
That spark grew into Girlpool, the DIY songwriting duo Tucker formed with Harmony Tividad in 2013. Over the next decade, they released five albums, toured around the world, and became emblematic of a new generation of indie artists who blurred identity, emotion, and sound. In 2018, Tucker came out as transgender. By 2022, both musicians felt ready to move on, and Girlpool came to an end.
From that period of change came Paw, Tucker’s debut solo album. He found a trusted collaborator in Alaska Reid, who helped him stay instinctual and avoid self-censorship. “She encouraged me not to shy away from the rawness I had written,” Tucker says. “Instead of dressing the songs in production, she pushed me to serve the spirit of the songs.” Together they arrived at an earthy minimalism that recalls Neil Young, Gillian Welch, and Lucinda Williams, while still carrying the hazy warmth of Los Angeles summers, the tension of domestic dissonance, and the solitude of healing.
Released on October 10, Paw marks a turning point in Tucker’s musical journey. Known to many as one half of Girlpool, he now steps forward on his own terms with a voice reshaped by transformation and songs that balance honesty, curiosity, and emotional precision. Across the album, Tucker returns to the essence of why he fell in love with music in the first place, not as identity or performance, but as a way to seek truth.
The result feels both personal and open-ended, like a journal that invites listeners in without offering easy answers. Paw doesn’t need to shout; its quiet confidence speaks for itself.
To celebrate the release, Tucker played a headline show at Zebulon in Los Angeles on November 6. The night opened with an eclectic DJ set from his mother, Susan Tucker, also known as DJ Sooze, who played before and between sets. Laena Myers offered opening support, followed by a surprise appearance from Harmony Tividad. The two reunited onstage to perform a few Girlpool songs together, a moment that brought the room to life with nostalgia and warmth.
After a short intermission and another set from DJ Sooze, Tucker and his band began with “Big Drops,” “Knots,” and “Baby Broke.” Midway through the set, Katie Gavin of MUNA joined him on stage to sing and play violin on “Angel.” Tucker closed the night with “My Life Isn’t Leaving You,” a reflective ending to a set that captured both his past and his new beginning. With Paw, Avery Tucker doesn’t reinvent himself so much as return to the heart of why he began making music. It’s a record of clarity, courage, and self-discovery, where he reclaims the pure, unguarded spirit that first led him to pick up that toy guitar all those years ago.
This December, Tucker will bring the album to Europe and the UK, beginning December 3 in France before heading to London, Manchester, and Berlin. Be sure to catch them on tour.
