Pedro the Lion

    Pedro the Lion

    Seattle, Washington32 reviews across 7 releases

    emoindie rocklo-fisinger-songwriter
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    Formed by David Bazan in Seattle in 1995, Pedro the Lion began with a spare indie-rock sound: slow tempos and a restrained rhythm section, with simple guitar figures passing between guitar and bass while the vocals stayed central. The 1997 debut EP presented songs about drugs and the struggle to depend on Jesus in a restrained six-song setting. It's Hard to Find a Friend kept the small instrumental palette while giving Bazan's narratives more room, moving from apathy and heartbreak to religious duty and Hosea's story. By 2000, the music had grown fuller and more up-tempo, with Winners Never Quit arranged as a continuous story about political ambition and moral failure. Control pushed the change further through tougher rock and denser production, while allowing punk touches into the guitars. Pedro's songs could put corporate greed beside a joke about winter legs.

    After Achilles Heel appeared in 2004, Pedro the Lion ended when Bazan announced the band's split in early 2006. He then worked under his own name, while T.W. Walsh continued with The Soft Drugs and other projects. The separation was described as amicable. In October 2017, Bazan announced Pedro's return with guitarist Erik Walters, bassist Johnathon Ford, and drummer Sean Lane for a run of shows. The re-formed band later recorded Phoenix, released in 2019 as the first of a series tied to places from Bazan's early life. Havasu followed in 2022, concerning his years around Arizona's Lake Havasu, and Santa Cruz in 2024, focusing on his adolescence in California. During the later touring period, Bazan moved from bass to drums.

    7 releases reviewed