Santa Cruz (album)

Last updated
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz (album).jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 7, 2024 (2024-06-07)
StudioRecorded by Andy D. Park at The Crumb
Genre Indie Rock, Electronic
Length35:44
Label Polyvinyl
Producer Andy D. Park & David Bazan
Pedro the Lion chronology
Havasu
(2022)
Santa Cruz
(2024)

Santa Cruz is a studio album by Pedro the Lion. Released on June 7, 2024 [1] it is the seventh Pedro the Lion LP and forms their third in a planned five album arc following 2019's Phoenix and 2022's Havasu. [2] Santa Cruz forms part of an autobiographical telling of the lead singer David Bazan's adolescence, focusing on a year spent in Santa Cruz, California. [3]

Contents

David said that the timeline for this album should overlap with the next album in the set which will be called Paradise named after the city of the same name in California about three hours away. This appears to be a difference from the prior albums where he would leave his old city behind so that he could completely move to the new one.[ citation needed ]

Album art

The cover art for Santa Cruz features abstract snippets of various places in Santa Cruz, California. This is similar to the way the previous albums in the set looked each with different color schemes. Many fans noticed that these abstract pieces are now doing more then function as standalone snippets overlaying each other now. Starting with the Santa Cruz album they now appear to be forming the basic features of someone's face. [4] [ unreliable source? ]

All three albums in the set feature small photos of young David Bazan mixed in with the artwork.[ citation needed ] As of Santa Cruz there appears to be more going on with a person on the cover rather then just landscapes and other inanimate objects.[ vague ]

Music videos

There have been videos made for "Modesto," [5] "Don't Cry Now," and "Spend Time."

Music Videos, Live Performances and Album Streams
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Modesto https://pedrothelion.com/video/modesto/
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Don't Cry Now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z-k7QO-x0U
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Spend Time https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBXtkiLy1B8
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg KEXP Set promoting the Santa Cruz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dHPL4fc91Y&t=1218s
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Live at the Crumb that features Santa Cruz songs and a Grandaddy cover https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuHViXH2XeFRgJiH5WSAm4as-Y2Y76Npe&si=lxvSLV_8K7Jnbmr7
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Full album stream https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuHViXH2XeFSVbbEwUJoDb7YtF6R8O-Qi&si=p02XevbDUizmkxPu
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg All the Pedro the Lion Albums about the places Dave grew up https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuHViXH2XeFR8KOz3fEv_-jmO05ZHcuRe&si=wyxtONqbt0_ibSDN
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Gear Talk playlist about the instruments used to make Santa Cruz https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuHViXH2XeFQWR945ErWi5jUWQ4rZizVt&si=ApSFV-Vx69_shv9f

Inspirations

Around the time the album came out David set up a playlist on streaming platforms to list some of the songs he listened to when Santa Cruz takes place. The song Modesto references Grandaddy. Little Help recalls the first time he listened to the Beatles White Album. Particularly the song Birthday which he listened to, coincidentally, on his very own birthday.

Live performance

David took a major performance change on the tour promoting Santa Cruz by becoming the band's drummer instead of the bass player. [6] Bazan previously sung about his love of playing the drums on the song "First Drum Set" from Havasu. [7] At the beginning of the Santa Cruz tour the song "Tall Pines" often lead straight into "Modal Homes" off Phoenix. This further established the multiple ways Phoenix, Havasu, and Santa Cruz work together both musically and lyrically.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Firenote3.5/5 [8]
Paste 7.7/10 [9]
Pitchfork 7.3/10 [10]
Sputnikmusic 3.5/5 [11]

Writing for NPR, Ann Powers described Santa Cruz as the boldest of Pedro the Lion's most recent albums. She wrote that Bazan's voice "has never been more relaxed and evocative" and drew comparisons with other albums featuring songwriters' explorations of their own youths such as The Sunset Tree (The Mountain Goats), Carrie & Lowell (Sufjan Stevens) and good kid, m.A.A.d city (Kendrick Lamar). [12]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by David Bazan; all music is composed by David Bazan with Erik Walters & Andy D. Park [13]

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."It'll All Work Out"  3:12
2."Santa Cruz"  2:40
3."Little Help"  3:05
4."Tall Pines"  2:58
5."Don't Cry Now"written with Andy Fittskeys by Andy Fitts3:28
6."Remembering"  2:52
7."Teacher's Pet"written with Charles Chace 3:58
8."Parting"  3:28
9."Modesto"  3:54
10."Spend Time"  2:36
11."Only Yesterday"  3:34
Total length:35:44

References

  1. "Pedro the Lion announces new album, Santa Cruz". TrebleZine. April 2, 2024.
  2. Konstantinos Pappis (April 2, 2024). "Pedro the Lion Announces New Album 'Santa Cruz', Shares New Single 'Modesto'". Our Culture Mag.
  3. Wallace Baine (July 17, 2024). "Who is Pedro the Lion? And why is his new album called 'Santa Cruz'?". Lookout.co.
  4. familytiesmanman (2024-04-03). "Anyone else notice the Santa Cruz album cover is starting to look like a face?". r/pedrothelion. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  5. "Modesto" . Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  6. "NEW ALBUM: SANTA CRUZ OUT JUNE 7". 2025-03-12. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  7. "Pedro The Lion - First Drum Set lyrics | Musixmatch". www.musixmatch.com. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  8. Christopher Anthony (June 11, 2024). "Pedro The Lion: Santa Cruz [Album Review]". Firenote. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  9. Eric R Danton (June 6, 2024). "David Bazan Comes of Age on Pedro the Lion's Santa Cruz". Paste. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  10. Patric Fallon (June 17, 2024). "Pedro the Lion: Santa Cruz". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  11. Randall Cunningham (June 11, 2024). "Pedro The Lion | Santa Cruz". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  12. Ann Powers (June 11, 2024). "Pedro the Lion's youthful nostalgia is quietly transformational". NPR Music. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  13. Santa Cruz (Media notes). Polyvinyl Records. 2024.