When
David Bazan
unexpectedly revived
Pedro the Lion
in 2019, it was to explore the period of his childhood spent in Phoenix, Arizona. As it turns out, the reunion record was merely the first in a proposed five-album cycle devoted entirely to his formative years. While
Phoenix
benefited from the full-time musical input of two new members (guitarist
Erik Walters
and drummer
Sean Lane
), its sequel,
Havasu
, is ultimately more of a solo release with
Bazan
handling the lion's share of the instruments himself. Chronicling one's seventh grade year from the distance of middle age is not a challenge many songwriters would willingly face, but given
's penchant for self-punishing introspection, he commits himself to the task with his usual intensity and a surprising amount of tenderness. The setting of these youthful follies is Lake Havasu, Arizona, a suburban desert community built around a man-made lake known as the final resting place for London Bridge, relocated there from England in the late '60s by a wealthy oil magnate. Over a bed of rugged, mercurial indie rock,
recounts the misery of being transferred to this place against his wishes at the impressionable age of 12 and the tumultuous middle school year that followed. There is confusion, frustration, awkward crushes, and botched romances as well as some life-defining moments of creative growth, particularly on the standout "My First Drum Set," which describes in poignant detail his desperate band room switch from clarinet to drums.
has never shied away from difficult emotions, and this set is appropriately bittersweet and lovingly written. ~ Timothy Monger