Former Pedro The Lion leader David Bazan is back with a fresh batch of material called Care. After a busy 2016, during which Bazan released two full-length records — the full-fledged LP Blanco and the Christmas song cover collection Dark Sacred Night — his momentum continues at full speed on his latest release.

Care cements a new era for Bazan as a solo artist. His music has moved passed acoustic guitars and jumped headfirst into synth-laden pieces drenched in texture. Standout “Disappearing Ink” demonstrates that evolution, bringing a blistering, dark funk feel to his brooding punk. The album’s final songs find Bazan experimenting with new sonic spaces — some twinkling gently, others booming and begging to be heard.

With closely detailed lyricism, Bazan sings about nostalgia, personal revelations and sudden jolts of reality. In “Up All Night,” he summons youthful joy, recalling memories of school being out, sleeping all day and staying up late. “Make Music” explores the ways in which the passage of time changes us as our naïvety eventually fades; Bazan sings, “Didn’t we always vote for love/ When our friends were breaking up/ And they’d go and see a counselor/ To find it’s not enough.”

Stream the full album below, a day ahead of its official release.

Some upcoming Bazan live dates:

04/01 Grand Rapids, MI @ Festival Of Faith And Music
04/08 Santa Ana, CA @ When We Were Young Festival

Care is out 3/7 via Undertow. Pre-order it here.

CREDIT: Ryan Russell