Pedro the Lion dropped a surprise new album on Thursday titled Havasu. Similarly to their 2019 release, Phoenix, Pedro the Lion’s David Bazan found himself looking to his earliest childhood experiences to inspire the album. The title, Havasu, refers to a community in Arizona he grew up in.
Bazan emphasizes that this album is a product of childhood nostalgia. Upon visiting Lake Havasu, Bazan was struck by inspiration related to his upbringing and the kindness he would like to show his younger self. “It gave me the ability to make vulnerable choices, and connect with a part of my younger self that I didn’t want to turn my back on,” he said in a statement. “I worked through a lot of self-judgment, and was kinder to myself on this record than I have been before in any songs.”
The album is carried by Bazan’s wistful storytelling chalked full with lyrics of schoolyard angst and retrospective observations of a childhood past. The melancholic nature of many of the songs powerfully translates the message of Bazan’s yearning for validation as a child. Havasu strives to be a celebration of adolescence despite prevailing pain from the past always seeping through.
Pedro the Lion is going on tour throughout North America starting April 2022.
Pedro the Lion 2022 tour dates:
04/12 – Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar #
04/13 – Tulsa, OK @ The Vanguard #
04/14 – Dallas TX @ Granada Theater #
04/15 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk #
04/16 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall #
04/18 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn #
04/19 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East #
04/20 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West #
04/21 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle #
04/23 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat #
04/24 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer #
04/25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg #
04/26 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall #
04/28 – Millvale, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre #
04/29 – Columbus, OH @ Skullys #
04/30 – Indianapolis, IN @ The HI-FI #
05/01 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall #
05/03 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line #
05/22 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux &
05/23 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge &
05/25 – Denver, CO @ The Gothic &
05/27 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom &
05/28 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room &
05/29 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory &
05/31 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent &
06/02 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall &
06/03 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox &
# w/ Oceanator
& w/ Charlotte Cornfield
