Pavlov’s Dog has always lived at the crossroads of the dramatic and the melancholic, and with their new album Wonderlust they prove once again that their story is still being written. Arriving a full fifty years after their debut Pampered Menial and its enduring single “Julia” briefly lifted them into the 1970s progressive rock spotlight, Wonderlust shows the group not revisiting their legacy but expanding it.

“I’m so proud of Wonderlust. Sometimes it just takes a half century to discover the proper lyrics, chords and melodies,” says singer, guitarist, and chief songwriter David Surkamp. “Abbie Steiling has created some of our most haunting moments with her breathtaking string arrangements. In fact, the entire Pavlov’s Dog ensemble have delivered the best work of my life so far. Very exciting here in my winter years!”

That enthusiasm rings true throughout the record. Wonderlust is packed with intelligence, sophistication, and the sweeping theatricality that has defined the band from their earliest days. Tracks like “Anyway There’s Snow” and “Another Blood Moon” highlight Surkamp’s instantly recognizable voice against lush violin and string backdrops, while rockers such as “Mona” and “Collingwood Hotel” keep the band’s grit intact. “Jet Black Cadillac” offers a bittersweet twist, its wistful verses giving way to a soaring chorus that treats the titular car as a vehicle for escape. Elsewhere, “Solid Water, Liquid Sky” shows a playful edge, while “Can’t Stop The Hurt” leans into harder territory.

For fans of the band’s more progressive flourishes, the album’s back half holds plenty to savor. Steiling’s instrumental “Calling Sigfried” gives the group room to stretch, while closing numbers co-written with the late Doug Rayburn, including “Canadian Rain,” summon the adventurous spirit of their 1970s heyday with tempo shifts and even a surprise slap bass break.

Formed in St. Louis in the early 1970s, Pavlov’s Dog fused rock, classical, and folk in a way that won them cult devotion but only fleeting commercial success. The original lineup dissolved by 1977, yet Surkamp kept the flame alive, recording with Rayburn in 1990 before building a new, longer-lasting incarnation of the band in the 2000s. The current lineup features Surkamp, his wife Sara on vocals, Steiling on violin, Rick Steiling on bass, and Mark Maher on keys. This ensemble has been together for seven years, a run far surpassing the original version of the group.

Wonderlust captures the band at a moment when they still have plenty to say. Surkamp’s voice remains commanding, the arrangements are rich, and the songs bear the weight of lived experience without losing their spark. For long-time followers and new fans alike, it shows that good music, deeply felt and beautifully executed, will never fade.