Pixies

Biography

The Pixies are an American alternative rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1986. The original lineup consisted of Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim Deal (bass, vocals) and David Lovering (drums). The Pixies are associated with the 1990s alternative rock boom, and draw on elements including punk rock and surf rock. Their music is known for dynamic "loud-quiet-loud" shifts and song structures. Francis is the primary songwriter; his often surreal lyrics cover offbeat subjects such as extraterrestrials, incest, and biblical violence.
The Pixies' debut release was the mini-LP Come On Pilgrim×Come On PilgrimOctober 1987 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracksA1Caribou3:15A2Vamos2:54A3Isla de Encanta1:41A4Ed Is Dead2:30B5The Holiday Song2:15B6Nimrod’s Son2:17B7I’ve Been Tired3:01B8Levitate Me2:37 (1987), followed by the albums Surfer Rosa×Surfer Rosa21 March 1988 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracksA1Bone Machine3:04A2Break My Body2:05A3Something Against You1:48A4Broken Face1:30A5Gigantic3:55A6River Euphrates2:32B1Where Is My Mind?3:53B2Cactus2:17B3Tony’s Theme1:52B4Oh My Golly! / [untitled]2:33B5Vamos4:20B6I’m Amazed1:42B7Brick Is Red2:01 (1988), Doolittle×Doolittle17 April 1989 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Debaser2:522Tame1:563Wave of Mutilation2:054I Bleed2:355Here Comes Your Man3:226Dead2:217Monkey Gone to Heaven2:568Mr. Grieves2:069Crackity Jones1:2410La La Love You2:4411No. 13 Baby3:5212There Goes My Gun1:5013Hey3:3114Silver2:2515Gouge Away2:45 (1989), Bossanova×Bossanova13 August 1990 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Cecilia Ann2:062Rock Music1:523Velouria3:404Allison1:185Is She Weird3:016Ana2:097All Over the World5:278Dig for Fire3:039Down to the Well2:2910The Happening4:1911Blown Away2:2012Hang Wire2:0113Stormy Weather3:2714Havalina2:34 (1990) and Trompe le Monde×Trompe le Monde23 September 1991 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Trompe le Monde1:472Planet of Sound2:063Alec Eiffel2:504The Sad Punk3:005Head On2:146U‐Mass3:017Palace of the Brine1:348Letter to Memphis2:409Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons2:4810Space (I Believe In)4:1911Subbacultcha2:1012Distance Equals Rate Times Time1:2413Lovely Day2:0614Motorway to Roswell4:4415The Navajo Know2:20 (1991). They disbanded in 1993. The Pixies found only modest success in the US, but were more successful in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe. Their alternative rock sound influenced acts such as Nirvana, Radiohead, Modest Mouse, the Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer.
The Pixies' popularity grew after their breakup, leading to a 2004 reunion and sold-out world tours. Deal left in 2012, and was replaced with Kim Shattuck for their 2013 tour. She was later replaced with Paz Lenchantin, who became a full member in 2016. With Lenchantin, the Pixies recorded the albums Head Carrier×Head Carrier30 September 2016 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Head Carrier3:372Classic Masher2:373Baal’s Back1:544Might as Well Be Gone2:485Oona3:376Talent2:117Tenement Song2:578Bel Esprit3:129All I Think About Now3:0710Um Chagga Lagga3:0011Plaster of Paris2:0612All the Saints2:41 (2016), Beneath the Eyrie×Beneath the Eyrie13 September 2019 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1In the Arms of Mrs. Mark of Cain4:132On Graveyard Hill3:253Catfish Kate3:084This Is My Fate3:215Ready for Love2:346Silver Bullet3:457Long Rider3:338Los Surfers Muertos2:549St. Nazaire2:2710Bird of Prey2:3711Daniel Boone4:5212Death Horizon2:07 (2019) and Doggerel×Doggerel29 September 2022 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Nomatterday4:112Vault of Heaven3:593Dregs of the Wine3:304Haunted House3:325Get Simulated3:186The Lord Has Come Back Today2:427Thunder and Lightning3:198There’s a Moon On2:519Pagan Man3:0110Who’s More Sorry Now?3:1411You’re Such a Sadducee3:5412Doggerel4:39 (2022). In 2024, Lenchantin was replaced by Emma Richardson, formerly of Band of Skulls. The ninth Pixies album, The Night the Zombies Came×The Night the Zombies Came25 October 2024 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Primrose2:352You’re So Impatient2:093Jane (The Night the Zombies Came)2:524Chicken4:235Hypnotised3:056Johnny Good Man3:287Motoroller2:428I Hear You Mary3:149Oyster Beds2:1010Mercy Me3:5511Ernest Evans2:4212Kings of the Prairie2:5513The Vegas Suite3:44, was released that year.

Formation (1984–1986)

Guitarist Joey Santiago and songwriter Black Francis (born Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV) met in 1984 when they lived next to each other while attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Although Santiago was worried about distractions, he noticed Francis played music and the pair began to jam together. Francis spent six months in Puerto Rico studying Spanish, then returned to Amherst and dropped out of the university. Francis and Santiago spent the following year working in a Boston-area warehouse, with Francis composing songs on his acoustic guitar and writing lyrics on the subway.
The pair formed a band in January 1986. Two weeks later, Francis placed an advertisement seeking a bass player who liked both the folk act Peter, Paul and Mary and the alternative rock band Hüsker Dü. Kim Deal was the only person to respond, and arrived at the audition without a bass, as she had never played one before. She was invited to join as she liked the songs Francis showed her. She obtained a bass, and the trio started rehearsing in Deal's apartment.
Deal paid for her sister, Kelley Deal, to fly to Boston and audition as a drummer. Though Francis approved, Kelley was not confident in her drumming, and was more interested in playing songs written by Kim; she later joined Kim's band the Breeders. Kim's husband suggested they hire David Lovering, whom Kim had met at her wedding reception. The group arrived at a name after Santiago selected the word "pixies" randomly from a dictionary, liking how it looked and its definition as "mischievous little elves". The Pixies moved rehearsals to Lovering's parents' garage in mid-1986 and began to play shows at bars in the Boston area.

Come On Pilgrim (1987)

While the Pixies were playing a concert with Throwing Muses, they were noticed by the producer Gary Smith, the manager of Fort Apache Studios. He told them he "could not sleep until you guys are world famous". Funded by Francis' father, the Pixies spent three days recording a 17-track demo at Fort Apache, which would become known as the Purple Tape for its purple cover. Promoter Ken Goes became the Pixies' manager, and he passed the demo to Ivo Watts-Russell of the British independent record label 4AD. Watts-Russell found the Pixies too normal and "too rock 'n' roll", but was persuaded to sign them by his girlfriend.
Upon signing with 4AD, eight tracks from the Purple Tape were selected for the Come On Pilgrim mini-LP, the Pixies' first release. Francis drew upon his experiences in Puerto Rico, mostly in the songs "Vamos×Vamos1988 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 24 tracks1Bone Machine3:152I've Been Tired2:463Break My Body2:084Nimrod's Son2:185Isla De Encanta1:456Gigantic3:087Caribou3:058I'm Amazed1:289Where is My Mind?3:5410In Heaven1:4011Nimrod's Son2:1512Ed is Dead2:3613Holiday Song2:2314Levitate Me2:2015Isla De Encanta1:4316Caribou3:0817River Euphrates2:4118Bone Machine2:5019Bone Machine2:1420Cactus2:0521Break My Body3:0722Gigantic2:5523I've Been Tired3:2024Vamos1:44" and "Isla de Encanta", describing the poverty in Puerto Rico and singing in loose Spanish. The religious lyrics and later albums came from his parents' born-again Christian days in the Pentecostal Church. The critic Heather Phares identified themes such as sexual frustration ("I've Been Tired") and incest ("Nimrod's Son" and "The Holiday Song").

Surfer Rosa and Doolittle (1988–1989)

Come On Pilgrim was followed by the Pixies' first full-length album, Surfer Rosa×Surfer Rosa21 March 1988 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracksA1Bone Machine3:04A2Break My Body2:05A3Something Against You1:48A4Broken Face1:30A5Gigantic3:55A6River Euphrates2:32B1Where Is My Mind?3:53B2Cactus2:17B3Tony’s Theme1:52B4Oh My Golly! / [untitled]2:33B5Vamos4:20B6I’m Amazed1:42B7Brick Is Red2:01. It was recorded by Steve Albini, completed in two weeks, and released in early 1988. Surfer Rosa gained the Pixies acclaim in Europe; both Melody Maker and Sounds named it their "Album of the Year". American critical response was positive but more muted, a reaction that persisted for much of the Pixies' career. Surfer Rosa was eventually certified gold in the US in 2005. The Pixies arrived in England to support Throwing Muses on the European "Sex and Death" tour, beginning at the Mean Fiddler in London. The tour also took them to the Netherlands, where the Pixies had already received a significant amount of media attention.
The Pixies signed an American distribution deal with the major record label Elektra. Around this time, they struck up a relationship with the British producer Gil Norton. Norton produced their second full album, Doolittle×Doolittle17 April 1989 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Debaser2:522Tame1:563Wave of Mutilation2:054I Bleed2:355Here Comes Your Man3:226Dead2:217Monkey Gone to Heaven2:568Mr. Grieves2:069Crackity Jones1:2410La La Love You2:4411No. 13 Baby3:5212There Goes My Gun1:5013Hey3:3114Silver2:2515Gouge Away2:45, which was recorded in the last six weeks of 1988. Doolittle had a much cleaner sound compared to the raw sound of their first two releases, largely due to Norton and the production budget of US$40,000, which was quadruple that of Surfer Rosa. Doolittle featured the single "Here Comes Your Man×Here Comes Your ManJuly 1989 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Here Comes Your Man3:252Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)3:023Into the White4:434Bailey’s Walk2:23", which biographers Josh Frank and Caryn Ganz describe as an unusually jaunty and pop-like song for the band. "Monkey Gone to Heaven×Monkey Gone to Heaven20 March 1989 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Monkey Gone to Heaven2:592Manta Ray2:423Weird at My School2:024Dancing the Manta Ray2:14" was popular on alternative rock radio in the US, reached the top 10 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks, and the single entered the Top 100 in the U.K. Like Surfer Rosa, Doolittle was acclaimed by fans and music critics alike. Doolittle was their first album to enter into the Billboard 200, peaking at 98. In the UK, the album was a commercial success, reaching number 8 in the Albums Chart.

Break (1989–1990)

After Doolittle, the tensions that had been growing between Deal and Francis came to a head (for example, Francis threw a guitar at Deal during a concert in Stuttgart), and Deal was almost fired from the band when she refused to play at a concert in Frankfurt. Santiago, in an interview with Mojo, described Deal as being "headstrong and want[ing] to include her own songs, to explore her own world" on the band's albums; eventually she accepted that Francis was the singer and had musical control of the band, but after the Frankfurt incident, "they kinda stopped talking". The band became increasingly tired during the post-Doolittle "Fuck or Fight" tour of the United States and fighting among members continued. After the tour's final date in New York City, the band was too exhausted to attend the end-of-tour party the following night and soon announced a hiatus.
During this time, Santiago and Lovering went on vacation while Francis performed a short solo tour, made up of a number of concerts to generate gas money as he traveled across the country. Deal formed a new band, the Breeders, with Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses and bass player Josephine Wiggs of Perfect Disaster. Their debut album, Pod, was released in 1990.

Bossanova and Trompe le Monde (1990–1992)

In 1990, all members of the group except Deal moved to Los Angeles. Lovering stated that he, Santiago, and Francis moved there "because the recording studio was there". Unlike previous recordings, the band had little time to practice beforehand, and Black Francis wrote much of the album in the studio. Featuring the singles "Velouria×Velouria16 July 1990 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Velouria3:442Make Believe1:563I've Been Waiting for You2:484The Thing1:59" and "Dig for Fire×Dig for Fire29 October 1990 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Dig for Fire2:492Velvety Instrumental Version2:053Winterlong3:114Santo2:16", Bossanova reached number 70 in the United States. In contrast, the album peaked at number three in the United Kingdom. Also in 1990, the Pixies released a cover of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band's "Born in Chicago" on the compilation album Rubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary.
The band continued to tour and released Trompe le Monde in 1991, their final album before their break-up. The album included "U-Mass", which has been described as being about college apathy, and featured a guitar riff written years earlier at the University of Massachusetts before Francis and Santiago dropped out. The album also featured a cover of "Head On×Head On1991 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Head On2:142U-Mass3:023Planet of Sound (live)2:264Tame (live)2:275Debaser (live)2:41" by the Jesus and Mary Chain. Also that year, the band contributed a cover of "I Can't Forget" to the Leonard Cohen tribute album I'm Your Fan, and began an international tour on which they played stadiums in Europe and smaller venues in the United States. In 1992, they supported U2 on the lucrative US leg of their Zoo TV Tour. Their final performance took place on April 25, 1992 at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, British Columbia. Tensions rose among band members, and they went on sabbatical and focused on separate projects.

Breakup and solo projects (1993–2003)

In early 1993, Francis announced in an interview with BBC Radio 5 that the Pixies were finished, without telling the other members of the band. He offered no explanation at the time. He later called Santiago and notified Deal and Lovering via fax.
After the breakup, the members embarked on separate projects. Black Francis renamed himself Frank Black, and released several solo albums, including a string of releases with Frank Black and the Catholics. Deal returned to the Breeders and released several albums, including a hit single, "Cannonball", from the platinum-selling Last Splash in 1993. She also formed the Amps, who released one album.
Santiago played lead guitar on a number of Frank Black albums and other artists' albums. He wrote music for the television show Undeclared and theme music for the film Crime and Punishment in Suburbia. He formed the Martinis with his wife, Linda Mallari, and released the album Smitten in 2004. In 2004, he also played lead guitar on the album Statecraft by the novelist and musician Charles Douglas. Lovering became a magician and performed a style of magic he called "scientific phenomenalism". He was temporarily a member of the Martinis, and later drummed with the band Cracker.
4AD and Elektra Records continued to release Pixies material: the best-of album Death to the Pixies×Death to the Pixies6 October 1997 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1Cecilia Ann2:062Planet of Sound2:063Tame1:564Here Comes Your Man3:215Debaser2:526Wave of Mutilation2:047Dig for Fire3:028Caribou3:149Holiday Song2:1410Nimrod's Son2:1711U-Mass3:0112Bone Machine3:0113Gigantic3:1314Where Is My Mind?3:5215Velouria3:4016Gouge Away2:4417Monkey Gone to Heaven2:56 (1997), the Peel-session compilation Pixies at the BBC×Pixies at the BBC6 July 1998 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Wild Honey Pie1:512There Goes My Gun1:253Dead1:304Subbacultcha2:085Manta Ray2:156Is She Weird2:537Ana2:148Down to the Well2:319Wave of Mutilation2:2210Letter to Memphis2:3311Levitate Me2:1812Caribou3:1913Monkey Gone to Heaven2:5714Hey3:1715In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)1:50 (1998), and the Complete 'B' Sides compilation (2001). In 2002, material from the Pixies' original 17-track demo tape was released as an EP, Pixies, on Cooking Vinyl in the U.K. and SpinART Records in the U.S.; Black has also used these labels to release solo work and albums with the Catholics. Their song "Where is My Mind" was played during the climax of the movie Fight Club in 1999, introducing the song to a new generation of fans.

Reunion (2003–2012)

In the years following the Pixies' breakup, Black dismissed rumors of a reunion, but incorporated an increasing number of Pixies songs in his sets with the Catholics, and occasionally included Santiago in his solo work and Lovering's magic show as an opening act to concerts. In 2003, a series of phone calls among band members resulted in some low-key rehearsals, and soon the decision to reunite. By February 2004, a full tour was announced, and tickets for nearly all the initial tour dates sold out within minutes.
The Pixies played their first reunion concert on April 13, 2004, at the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A warm-up tour through the U.S. and Canada (in which all dates were recorded and released as individual limited-edition CDs) was followed by an appearance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The band toured Europe in the spring and summer of 2004, beginning on 26 May in Reykjavík and concluding on 22 August in Chelmsford. The group won the Act-of-the-Year award in the 2004 Boston Music Awards. The 2004 reunion tour grossed over $14 million in ticket sales. Pitchfork would later credit the band for ushering in "the indie-icon reunion-tour circuit ... a long overdue opportunity to play for the sort of massive crowds that their famous fans—Nirvana, Radiohead, and Weezer among them—had built on their influence."
In June 2004, the band released a new song, "Bam Thwok×Bam Thwok15 June 2004 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Bam Thwok2:35" exclusively on the iTunes Music Store; it reached number one in the UK Official Download Chart. 4AD released Wave of Mutilation: The Best of Pixies, along with a companion DVD, Pixies. The band also contributed a rendition of "Ain't That Pretty at All" to the Warren Zevon tribute album Enjoy Every Sandwich.
In 2005, the Pixies made appearances at festivals including Lollapalooza, "T on the Fringe", and the Newport Folk Festival. They continued to make appearances throughout 2006 and 2007, culminating in their first shows in Australia. Francis suggested that a new Pixies studio album was possible but unlikely, the main obstacle being Deal's reluctance.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of Doolittle, the Pixies launched a tour in October 2009 where they performed the album track-for-track, including the associated B-sides. The tour began in Europe, continued in the United States in November, with the South American and Australian tour following in March 2010, then New Zealand, and more European dates in spring 2010, and back to North America in 2010.

Deal's departure, Indie Cindy and the arrival of Lenchantin (2013–2015)

In October 2012, shortly after the Pixies began recording new material, Deal left the band. Her departure was announced in June 2013. Two weeks later, the band released a new song, "Bagboy×Bagboy28 June 2013 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Bagboy4:53", as a free download via the Pixies' website. It features Jeremy Dubs of Bunnies and formerly of the Bennies on vocals in place of Deal. In 2023, Santiago said Deal was not in contact with her former bandmates and was "living her own life".
On July 1, 2013, the Pixies announced the addition of the Muffs and Pandoras guitarist and vocalist Kim Shattuck to replace Deal for their 2013 European tour. On September 3, 2013, the Pixies released an EP of new songs, EP1. On November 29, 2013, Shattuck announced that she had been dismissed from the band. In December 2013, it was announced that the Entrance Band and A Perfect Circle bassist Paz Lenchantin was joining the Pixies for the 2014 tour. Lenchantin said she had been a "die-hard" Pixies fan as a teenager and that Black was the greatest artist she had worked with. The Pixies released EP2 on January 3, 2014, supported by the single "Blue Eyed Hexe". EP3 was released on March 24. All the EPs were only available as downloads and limited-edition vinyl. The three EPs were collected as the first Pixies album in over two decades, Indie Cindy×Indie Cindy19 April 2014 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks · 3 discsDisc 1A1What Goes Boom3:32A2Greens and Blues3:47A3Indie Cindy4:41B1Bagboy4:53B2Magdalena 3183:26B3Silver Snail3:29Disc 2C1Blue Eyed Hexe3:12C2Ring the Bell3:35C3Another Toe in the Ocean3:46D1Andro Queen3:24D2Snakes3:46D3Jaime Bravo4:24Disc 3EWomen of War, in April 2014. In 2015, the Pixies toured in support of Robert Plant for a series of dates across North America.

Head Carrier, Beneath the Eyrie and Doggerel (2016–2023)

In July 2016, the Pixies announced that Lenchantin had become a permanent member, and that their sixth album, Head Carrier×Head Carrier30 September 2016 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Head Carrier3:372Classic Masher2:373Baal’s Back1:544Might as Well Be Gone2:485Oona3:376Talent2:117Tenement Song2:578Bel Esprit3:129All I Think About Now3:0710Um Chagga Lagga3:0011Plaster of Paris2:0612All the Saints2:41, would be released on September 30, 2016. Their seventh album, Beneath the Eyrie×Beneath the Eyrie13 September 2019 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1In the Arms of Mrs. Mark of Cain4:132On Graveyard Hill3:253Catfish Kate3:084This Is My Fate3:215Ready for Love2:346Silver Bullet3:457Long Rider3:338Los Surfers Muertos2:549St. Nazaire2:2710Bird of Prey2:3711Daniel Boone4:5212Death Horizon2:07, was released on September 13, 2019, with the lead single, "On Graveyard Hill×On Graveyard Hill3 June 2019 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1On Graveyard Hill3:25". The Pixies released a podcast, It's a Pixies Podcast, documenting the recording of the album. The Pixies released a non-album single, "Human Crime×Human Crime2 March 2022 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Human Crime3:07", in March 2022. They released their eighth studio album, Doggerel×Doggerel29 September 2022 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Nomatterday4:112Vault of Heaven3:593Dregs of the Wine3:304Haunted House3:325Get Simulated3:186The Lord Has Come Back Today2:427Thunder and Lightning3:198There’s a Moon On2:519Pagan Man3:0110Who’s More Sorry Now?3:1411You’re Such a Sadducee3:5412Doggerel4:39, with the single "There's a Moon On" on September 30 via BMG.

Lenchantin's departure, arrival of Richardson and The Night the Zombies Came (2024–present)

On 4 March 2024, the Pixies announced that Lenchantin had left "to concentrate on her own projects". In a statement to Rolling Stone, however, Lenchantin said that the choice was not hers and that her "departure [was] a bit of a surprise to [her] as it is to many". She was replaced on the following tour by Emma Richardson, formerly of Band of Skulls. The tour celebrated the Pixies' third and fourth albums, Bossanova×Bossanova13 August 1990 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Cecilia Ann2:062Rock Music1:523Velouria3:404Allison1:185Is She Weird3:016Ana2:097All Over the World5:278Dig for Fire3:039Down to the Well2:2910The Happening4:1911Blown Away2:2012Hang Wire2:0113Stormy Weather3:2714Havalina2:34 (1990) and Trompe le Monde×Trompe le Monde23 September 1991 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Trompe le Monde1:472Planet of Sound2:063Alec Eiffel2:504The Sad Punk3:005Head On2:146U‐Mass3:017Palace of the Brine1:348Letter to Memphis2:409Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons2:4810Space (I Believe In)4:1911Subbacultcha2:1012Distance Equals Rate Times Time1:2413Lovely Day2:0614Motorway to Roswell4:4415The Navajo Know2:20 (1991), with Francis describing it as "delightful". In June, the Pixies released the single "You're So Impatient", Richardson's first studio credit with the band.
On October 25, 2024, the Pixies released their ninth full-length studio album, The Night the Zombies Came×The Night the Zombies Came25 October 2024 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Primrose2:352You’re So Impatient2:093Jane (The Night the Zombies Came)2:524Chicken4:235Hypnotised3:056Johnny Good Man3:287Motoroller2:428I Hear You Mary3:149Oyster Beds2:1010Mercy Me3:5511Ernest Evans2:4212Kings of the Prairie2:5513The Vegas Suite3:44, produced by Tom Dalgety, who also worked on their previous three studio albums. Regarding the title, Francis said: "It's not like I wrote a bunch of songs about zombies or that we tried to make the album sound scary or anything like that. 'Zombie' is just an associative word. You can do with it what you like. And it's not a concept record, but that word kept popping up in the lyrics. When I combed through all the other lyrics for a title, they just sounded corny as shit. The only thing that made sense was The Night the Zombies Came. And I was like, 'You know what? That's a pretty good title. I'd go see that movie.'" The album was preceded by the singles "You're So Impatient", "Chicken×Chicken24 July 2024 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track1Chicken4:23", "Oyster Beds×Oyster Beds23 August 2024 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track1Oyster Beds2:10" and "Motoroller×Motoroller16 September 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Motoroller2:422Oyster Beds2:103Chicken4:234You’re So Impatient2:09".

Music

The Pixies incorporate elements of surf rock and punk rock, with an emphasis on contrasting volume dynamics. Spin described them as "surf music-meets-Stooges spikiness and oft-imitated stop/start and quiet/loud dynamics". Writing for The Guardian, Laura Barton described their music as "an unorthodox marriage of surf music and punk rock ... characterized by Black's bristling lyrics and hackle-raising caterwaul, Deal's whispered harmonies and waspy basslines, Joey Santiago's fragile guitar, and the persistent flush of David Lovering's drums."
Their music incorporates extreme dynamic shifts, with Francis saying in 1991 that there are "... two basic components of rock music ... the dreamy side and the rockin' side. It's always been either sweaty or laid back and cool. We do try to be dynamic, but it's dumbo dynamics, because we don't know how to do anything else. We can play loud or quiet—that's it."

Influences

The Pixies are influenced by a range of artists and genres; each member came from a different musical background. When he first started writing songs for the Pixies, Francis says he was listening to nothing but Hüsker Dü, Captain Beefheart, and Iggy Pop; whilst in the run up to recording Come On Pilgrim he listened to R.E.M.'s Murmur a lot, which he described as "hugely influential" to his songwriting. During the making of Doolittle he listened heavily to the Beatles' White Album. He has cited Buddy Holly as a model for his compressed songwriting. Francis did not discover punk rock until he was 16, saying "it was good I didn't listen to these hip records". As a child, he listened mainly to 1960s songs, religious music and Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Talking Heads, who he says "weren't punk either".
Santiago listened to 1970s and 1980s punk (e.g. Black Flag), as well as David Bowie and T. Rex. Guitarists who influenced him include Jimi Hendrix, Les Paul, Wes Montgomery, Lou Reed and George Harrison. Deal's musical background was folk music and country; she had formed a country-folk band with her sister in her teenage years, and played covers of artists such as the Everly Brothers and Hank Williams. Other artists Deal listened to included XTC, Gang of Four and Elvis Costello. Lovering is a fan of the band Rush.
Santiago has also stated that the Cars "had a big influence" on Pixies and that "those chugging guitars [on Cars songs] are what made us chug."
Francis has cited the surrealist films Eraserhead and Un chien andalou (as mentioned in "Debaser") as influences. He said that he "didn't have the patience to sit around reading Surrealist novels", but found it easier to watch twenty-minute films.

Songwriting, lyrical themes and vocals

Most of the Pixies' songs are composed and sung by Francis. Critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine has described Francis's writing as containing "bizarre, fragmented lyrics about space, religion, sex, mutilation, and pop culture". Biblical violence is a theme of Doolittle's "Dead" and "Gouge Away"; Francis told a Melody Maker interviewer, "It's all those characters in the Old Testament. I'm obsessed with them. Why it comes out so much I don't know." He has described Come On Pilgrim's "Caribou" as being about reincarnation, and extraterrestrial themes appear in a number of songs on Bossanova.
Deal co-wrote Doolittle's "Silver" with Francis, and they share lead harmony vocals on the track. She also co-wrote and sang lead vocals on Surfer Rosa's "Gigantic×Gigantic22 August 1988 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Gigantic (new version)3:142River Euphrates (new version)3:243Vamos (live)3:294In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song) (live)1:49", and wrote the 2004 single "Bam Thwok×Bam Thwok15 June 2004 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Bam Thwok2:35". She was credited as Mrs. John Murphy on "Gigantic"—at the time she was married, and she used this name as an ironic feminist joke. She also sang lead vocals on the song "Into the White" and the Neil Young cover "Winterlong", both B-sides.
Lovering sang lead vocals on Doolittle's "La La Love You" and the B-side "Make Believe". Lenchantin made her lead vocal debut on Head Carrier's "All I Think About Now". She also provided lead vocals on "Los Surfers Muertos", from 2019's Beneath The Eyrie and the 2020 September single "Hear Me Out×Hear Me Out24 September 2020 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Hear Me Out2:41".

Legacy

The Pixies' first album, Surfer Rosa×Surfer Rosa21 March 1988 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracksA1Bone Machine3:04A2Break My Body2:05A3Something Against You1:48A4Broken Face1:30A5Gigantic3:55A6River Euphrates2:32B1Where Is My Mind?3:53B2Cactus2:17B3Tony’s Theme1:52B4Oh My Golly! / [untitled]2:33B5Vamos4:20B6I’m Amazed1:42B7Brick Is Red2:01, is certified gold, while Doolittle×Doolittle17 April 1989 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Debaser2:522Tame1:563Wave of Mutilation2:054I Bleed2:355Here Comes Your Man3:226Dead2:217Monkey Gone to Heaven2:568Mr. Grieves2:069Crackity Jones1:2410La La Love You2:4411No. 13 Baby3:5212There Goes My Gun1:5013Hey3:3114Silver2:2515Gouge Away2:45 is certified platinum, selling over 1 million copies. The band influenced a number of musicians associated with the alternative rock boom of the 1990s. Gary Smith, who produced Come On Pilgrim, said in 1997:

I've heard it said about the Velvet Underground that while not a lot of people bought their albums, everyone who did started a band. I think this is largely true about the Pixies as well. Charles' secret weapon turned out to be not so secret and, sooner or later, all sorts of bands were exploiting the same strategy of wide dynamics. It became a kind of new pop formula and, within a short while, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was charging up the charts and even the members of Nirvana said later that it sounded for all the world like a Pixies song.
The Pixies are credited with popularizing the extreme dynamics and stop-start timing that would become widespread in alternative rock. Their songs typically feature hushed, restrained verses, and explosive, wailing choruses.
Artists including David Bowie, Matt Noveskey, Radiohead, PJ Harvey, U2, Nirvana, the Strokes, Alice in Chains, Arcade Fire, Pavement, Everclear, Kings of Leon and Matthew Good have cited admiration of the Pixies. David Bowie said the Pixies had made "just about the most compelling music of the entire 80s" and were one of the greatest American bands. Radiohead's Thom Yorke said that the Pixies "changed [his] life".
Kurt Cobain cited the band as an influence on Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", which he admitted was a conscious attempt to co-opt the Pixies' style. In a January 1994 interview with Rolling Stone, he said, "I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies. I have to admit it [smiles]. When I heard the Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily I should have been in that band—or at least in a Pixies cover band. We used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard." Cobain cited Surfer Rosa as one of his main musical influences, and particularly admired the album's natural and powerful drum sounds, which were a result of Steve Albini's work on the record. Albini later produced Nirvana's 1993 In Utero at the request of Cobain.
Other bands and artists who have cited the Pixies as an influence include Weezer, Gavin Rossdale of Bush, Snow Patrol, Slowdive, OK Go, Eve 6, Thrice, Better Than Ezra, Toadies, Ash, Ride, Veruca Salt, Sleeper, Desaparecidos, Treepeople, and Lemuria.

Music videos and DVDs

Early in their career, Pixies held an aversion to recording music videos. Come on Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa were released without any videos, with Doolittle marking their first foray into the format. "Monkey Gone to Heaven×Monkey Gone to Heaven20 March 1989 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Monkey Gone to Heaven2:592Manta Ray2:423Weird at My School2:024Dancing the Manta Ray2:14", "Debaser", and "Here Comes Your Man×Here Comes Your ManJuly 1989 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Here Comes Your Man3:252Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)3:023Into the White4:434Bailey’s Walk2:23" from Doolittle all received music videos, the latter airing regularly on MTV. The band were wary of the track becoming a pop hit, and the video reflects their reluctance to promote the single, as Deal and Francis simply open their mouths during the song's verses, not attempting to lip-synch the lyrics.
By their next release, Bossanova, the band had developed a severe aversion to recording music videos, and Francis refused to lip-sync to them. According to their record label, their refusal to lip-synch in "Here Comes Your Man" became one of the reasons that Pixies never achieved major coverage on MTV. With Bossanova's release, 4AD hoped to have the Pixies chosen to perform their single "Velouria×Velouria16 July 1990 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Velouria3:442Make Believe1:563I've Been Waiting for You2:484The Thing1:59" on the BBC's Top of the Pops. Thus, the band shot a 23-second clip of themselves running across a quarry in Manchester, England, and slowed the clip's speed to fill out the length of the track. The group was ultimately not given a spot on the show.
The 90-minute documentary loudQUIETloud: a film about the Pixies was directed by Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin and released in 2006. The film documents their 2004 reunion and tour, and covers the years after the break-up. In addition to Pixies and LoudQUIETloud, four other Pixies DVDs were released between 2004 and 2006, all featuring concert performances: Live at the Town and Country Club 1988, The Pixies—Sell Out, The Pixies Acoustic: Live in Newport, and The Pixies Club Date: Live at the Paradise in Boston.
Since the band's reunion in 2004, they have released several music videos for new songs, including "On Graveyard Hill×On Graveyard Hill3 June 2019 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1On Graveyard Hill3:25", "Snakes", "Vault of Heaven×Vault of Heaven9 August 2022 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Vault of Heaven3:59", and "Hear Me Out×Hear Me Out24 September 2020 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Hear Me Out2:41", though the band's members rarely appear in the videos. They have also released official lyric videos for many songs on their YouTube page.

Studio albums

Come On Pilgrim (1987)
Surfer Rosa (1988)
Doolittle (1989)
Bossanova (1990)
Trompe le Monde (1991)
Indie Cindy (2014)
Head Carrier (2016)
Beneath the Eyrie (2019)
Doggerel (2022)
The Night the Zombies Came (2024)