With a stripped back and simplified line up, Balboa Island was completed in 2007 by the core unit of Phil May, Dick Taylor, Frank Holland, and Mark St. John, at Mark’s Cote Basque studio using vintage analogue equipment.

 

Most of the songs were rooted in the blues, the final arrangements hashed out on the studio floor then tracked live with Dick playing bass and Frank handling most of the guitar parts. This organic, back- to-basics approach worked especially well on the deep, expansive numbers.

 

Outside of its dark, bluesy core, though, the album diverged into other territory. Balboa Island is in many ways a coming-of-age album for the Pretty Things, acknowledging their roots and recognizing their past indiscretions while moving into the future with a newfound sense of dignity. “It’s almost a wounded piece rather than a proud piece,” Phil confessed at the time. “I think this is a very honest album.”