A revamped and expanded edition of the short-lived indie outfit Plume Giant, Pavo Pavo's cosmic art rock emerged from Brooklyn, New York, in 2015. Blending rich harmonies, wistful melodies, playful arrangements, and a kaleidoscopic production palette inspired by the post-Sgt. Pepper's 1960s, '70s, and beyond, they made their full-length debut with Young Narrator in the Breakers in 2016.

The core members of Pavo Pavo first started making music together as students at Yale University. The trio of Oliver Hill, Eliza Bagg, and Nolan Green formed the whimsical chamber folk act Plume Giant in 2010, issuing the album Callithump in 2012. A national tour in support of Kishi Bashi followed in 2014. A year later, Plume Giant revealed that Bagg (vocals, synths, strings), Hill (vocals, guitar, keys), and Green (guitar, vocals) were joining forces with drummer Austin Vaughn (Here We Go Magic, Happy Place) and bassist Ian Romer to form Pavo Pavo, named after the southern constellation Pavo (Latin for "peacock"). As classically trained musicians, the group's members also worked outside of the band with highly regarded acts from both the indie and classical worlds, including John Zorn, Roomful of Teeth, Here We Go Magic, and San Fermin.

With production by Dan Molad (Lucius, Via Audio) and Sam Cohen (Yellowbirds, Apollo Sunshine), Pavo Pavo's debut album, Young Narrator in the Breakers, arrived via Bella Union in 2016; it drew comparisons to bands including Grizzly Bear, Mercury Rev, and Fleet Foxes. With a rejiggered lineup still led by co-vocalists Bagg and Hill, they followed it in early 2019 with Mystery Hour. By that time, Hill was establishing himself as a producer, arranger, studio violinist, and touring bandmember (Kevin Morby, Vagabon), and Bagg had contributed vocals to projects by Meredith Monk, Julianna Barwick, and Ben Frost. She released Angels on the Slope, the debut of her solo project, Lisel, in mid-2019. ~ Marcy Donelson, Rovi