Hayden Pedigo Announces New Album I’ll Be Waving As You Drive Away: Listen to “Long Pond Lily”

Releasing a new album every two years might not seem as prolific as the output of an artist like Guided by Voices or The Reds, Pinks & Purples, but Hayden Pedigo’s productivity numbers are impressive. The Mexican Summer signee has been putting out solo records every other year, and his newest LP, I’ll Be Waving As You Drive Away (due out June 6), marks his fifth in eight years. But what’s even more gratifying is that his quality/quantity ratio is perfectly saturated, as every record arrives brimming with impossibly good and intricate guitar compositions.

I’ll Be Waving As You Drive Away is the third and final installment of his self-coined “Motor Trilogy,” following behind Letting Go (2021) and The Happiest Times I Ever Ignored (2023). Now, I know what you’re obviously thinking… Yes, the title of this record is clearly a Little House on the Prairie reference. Even though our mothers probably grew up loving that show, it’s even more niche now that streaming has outmuscled syndication. Nevertheless, Pedigo is as referential and cultural as they come. I mean, his last record was titled after a Doug Kenney quote.

Hayden Pedigo is part-man, part-myth, part-Texan, part-picker, and part-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink. His music is as warm as it is challenging—a paradox of storytelling that is personal yet world-consuming. Last year, we named his album Live in Amarillo, Texas the 36th-best album of 2024. In 2023, I had a chance to profile Pedigo for a second time. For about seven years now, I’ve been trying to put people on to his music, and I think his newest project might finally (and rightfully) put him over.

I’ll Be Waving As You Drive Away is inspired by everything from Bladee to Led Zeppelin, providing a total and affectionate rewrite of what instrumental could and ought to be. Pedigo may have left Amarillo for Oklahoma, but the Southern tapestry of lead single “Long Pond Lily” could have only been woven by somebody with his feet always in two places. Did someone give Ry Cooder a tab of acid? “Long Pond Lily” is guitar music without stereotype. “It’s very heavy and huge” Pedigo says of the song. “The low end is rattling on it—it sounds bonkers, and feels like it’s on the verge of going off the rails. It’s so maximalist, so much more energetic than anything I’ve ever written.”