Pedro the Lion has dropped “Modesto,” the first single from the band’s upcoming album, Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz is the third album from Pedro the Lion since the band reunited back in 2017. Prior to that, the indie rock group — who hold the No. 2 spot on RELEVANT’s Definitive Ranking of Early 2000s Christian Indie Rock Bands — grew a dedicated fan base from 1995 to 2004 by mixing refreshingly honest lyrics with poignant religious themes.
This album also continues the five-album arc that began with 2019’s Phoenix and 2022’s Havasu. Frontman Dave Bazan said that each album is named after a different place he’s lived, and the stories are based on various points in his life. This upcoming project takes place during his teenage years, from the time he turned 13 to the year the first Pedro the Lion EP dropped. “Modesto” was written about a six-month stay in Modesto, California, where he wrote the first Pedro the Lion songs before deciding to move to Seattle and pursue music.
“Of all the tunes on these records, I can’t think of another tune where I was really expressing my own agency,” Bazan said. “It was the first time where I really had a choice of what I wanted to do. It became really clear in those six months when I lived in Modesto that I didn’t want to work any other job—I wanted to try and make music. This song definitely feels like the launch pad for what became the life that I chose.”
Santa Cruz will drop June 7. Listen to “Modesto” here:
