I wouldn't consider myself a Pedro the Lion fan, but it's a band I've kept an eye on. Given my experience dropping out of Bible college when I was much younger, there's a resonance in the music of David Bazan for me, what with the singer's complicated relationship with religion and public discussion of his former Christianity. That frankness permeates the new Pedro the Lion record, Santa Cruz, though the specificity of the album lends it a warmth that I think is fairly broad in appeal.
Opener "It'll All Work Out" chimes atop a jagged hook, with a mood that says it won't work out, while the evocative title cut sets the stage for the young David Bazan and his path forward in life. There's real yearning here, with a sense of Bazan drawing from very vivid memories. Even better is "Little Help", a number which references the Beatles as it paints a picture of an adolescent Bazan coming to grips with the world and his place in it. Elsewhere, the forceful "Don't Cry Now" and the wistful "Modesto" continue the autobiographical journey, with David Bazan revealing the moments which formed his adult self.
Santa Cruz has a familiar sort of emo vibe about it. Long-time Pedro the Lion fans should gravitate to this one for the rich and vivid portrait the album creates of David Bazan. Intimate and yet expansive in ambitions, this work from David Bazan marries a very personal journey with indie forms to offer an album unique in its power.
Santa Cruz by Pedro the Lion is out now via Polyvinyl.
[Photo: Ryan Russell]