In 2024, as Pavlov’s Dog celebrated the release of the career-spanning retrospective box set Essential Recordings 1974–2018, the band was already hard at work on a new album of original material.
That album, entitled Wonderlust, has now arrived on Ruf Records –- a half-century after their debut LP Pampered Menial with the hit “Julia” briefly made Pavlov’s Dog the darlings of the 1970’s progressive rock scene.
“I’m so proud of “Wonderlust.” Sometimes it just takes a half century to discover the proper lyrics, chords and melodies,” says Pavlov’s Dog lead singer, guitarist and main songwriter, David Surkamp. “Abbie Steilling has created some of our most haunting moments with her breathtaking string arrangements. In fact, the entire Pavlov Dog ensemble have delivered the best work of my life so far. Very exciting here in my winter years!”
Wonderlust is a work of exceptional creativity, with songs built on intelligent songwriting, top-flight musicianship, and the unfailing flair for the dramatic that has been a hallmark of the band’s sound throughout the years.
Formed originally in St. Louis, Missouri in the early 1970s, Pavlov Dog’s unique blend of rock, classical, and folk music turned them into cult legends. Their initial moment in the sun was brief, however: by 1977, the original lineup had already dissolved. The aforementioned Surkamp carried on creating and rejoined fellow founding member Doug Rayburn to record Lost In America in 1990. The second chapter of Pavlov Dog’s career, however, didn’t truly get going until well after the turn of the millennium, with a talented assemblage of next-generation musicians carrying the band’s legacy forward.
Still fronted by mainstay Surkamp, the group has raised its game in recent years as a new wave of interest in prog rock has allowed them to tour regularly (indeed, Pavlov’s Dog make their touring debut in Australia this October in support of Wonderlust). The current lineup has, in fact, far exceeded the original version of Pavlov’s Dog in terms of longetivity: Singer Sara Surkamp, violinist Abbie Steiling, bassist Rick Steiling and keyboarder Mark Maher, together with founder David Surkamp, have formed the core of the band for the past seven years.
Already featured on 2018’s celebrated Prodigal Dreamer, this veteran team of musicians -– with help from drummer Steve Bunck, guitarist Phil Ring and others -– proves itself once again on Wonderlust. From the very first listen, one is struck by the great depth, maturity, and vision inherent in the album’s eleven tracks.
Some, like the opener “Anyway There’s Snow” -– where Abbie Steiling’s gorgeous violin features prominently — dazzle with drama. The strings-soaked “Another Blood Moon” exemplifies Pavlov’s Dog’s brand of musical melancholy; on an album full of powerful vocal performances, this may be Surkamp’s most gripping. Yet don’t forget that Pavlov’s Dog is first and foremost a rock band. Tunes like the hard-driving “Mona” and the no-nonsense “Collingwood Hotel” hit home. “Jet Black Cadillac” sounds like the title of a classic rock n’ roll number, but the song is typically wistful at first. (Let’s face it: Pavlov’s Dog almost always sounds at least a little bit melancholic).
Once the titular Cadillac appears in the upbeat chorus, the track soars, the dream automobile acting as a means of escape from the blues. Then there’s the cheeky charm of “Solid Water, Liquid Sky” and the hard rock leanings of “Can’t Stop The Hurt.”
Long-time Pavlov’s Dog fans looking for more of the musical flourishes typically associated with “prog” will want to pay attention to the album’s back half. On the instrumental showpiece “Calling Sigfried,” written by Abbie Steiling, the band breaks out and shows off it’s collective musical brilliance.
Finally, the album closes with a trio of co-writes between Surkamp and his former songwriting partner, the late Doug Rayburn. Of the three, “Canadian Rain,” in particular, exudes the adventurous vibes of 1970s progressive rock, with numerous tempo changes and an electric slap bass solo out of nowhere.
Throughout, Pavlov’s Dog sounds like a band that has been around long enough to know what it’s doing, but one whose creative well is still brimming with new ideas.
Wonderlust is an album full of well-executed, fully-realized rock music, with Surkamp showing that he hasn’t lost a step vocally, and that an old dog can learn some new tricks. Good music like this will never go out of style.
Pavlov’s Dog Wonderlust CD Review Copies/Interviews Available.
