Legendary US Progressive Rock band Pavlov’s Dog have unveiled the official video for the track “Jet Black Cadillac” taken from their new album, “Wonderlust,” released on October 03, 2025 via Ruf Records.
Watch the video for “Jet Black Cadillac” via the YouTube player below:
Last year, 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 – a half-century after the debut LP “Pampered Menial” with the Hit “Julia” briefly made Pavlov’s Dog the darlings of the 1970’s Progressive Rock scene.
The new album 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. Lead singer, guitarist and main songwriter David Surkamp carried on creating and rejoined fellow founding member Doug Rayburn to record “Lost In America” in 1990. But the second chapter of Pavlov Dog‘s career 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.
The current lineup has, in fact, far exceeded the original version of Pavlov’s Dog in terms of longevity: 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-and-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 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 its 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.
Purchase “Wonderlust” HERE
Tracklist:
01. Anyway There’s Snow (3:48)
02. Jet Black Cadillac (5:17)
03. Mona (4:25)
04. Another Blood Moon (5:57)
05. Collingwood Hotel (5:02)
06. Solid Water, Liquid Sky (6:04)
07. Can’t Stop the Hurt (3:25)
08. Calling Sigfried (3:11)
09. I Told You So (4:41)
10. Canadian Rain (6:29)
11. I Wait for You (2:03)
Lineup:
David Surkamp / Vocals, Acoustic & Electric Guitars
Sara Surkamp / Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Mark Maher / Grand Piano, Hammond Organ, Synths
Abbie Steiling / Violin
Rick Steiling / Bass
Steve Bunck / Drums
Phil Ring / Guitars