Grunge pioneers, surf-rock legends and enduring icons Pixies have returned with their horror-themed ninth studio album The Night the Zombies Came, and the first effort containing new bassist and vocalist Emma Richardson, after a long-standing 11-year stint of bassist Paz Lenchantin, who departed from the group earlier this year. The album contains 13 songs and incorporates a fresh theme of horror, never before seen in the Pixies’ discography. Despite this new motif, the haunting melodies and unsettling concepts weave flawlessly with the band’s prior work, and the feeling of existential dread, especially tied with the band’s unique and era-defining instrumentation left no doubt that this was a Pixies album.
When first listening to this album, my feelings towards it were not exactly positive, due to comparing this album too much with some of the legendary albums the band produced in the 80s and 90s such as Doolittle or Bossanova. With time, immersing myself in the music and delving into the lyrics, I found myself enjoying it more with every re-listen. Due to the album’s fluid and cohesive themes of strangeness, the dynamics omnipresent in all that they do and the unstable, captivating melodies that could only belong to Pixies.
You’re so impatient is the second track and reminds me of still how brilliant and enduring Pixies are. This 2-minute horror-themed punk tune showcases everything the band do best, the volume dynamics of the track and the punk-pace blaring; from Joey Santiago’s chaotic, distorted guitar and Black Francis’ unmistakable voice and lyrics. Releasing this as a single for the album was the right move because it has that signature Pixies charisma and captivation. It’s perfect, I only wish it was longer.
The album’s title track Jane (The Night the Zombies Came) very much deserves to be just that. It feels to me that the Pixies created this project’s themes around this song because of how fantastic this tune is. The instrumentation is just as perfect as always and know how to create this new sound that’s fresh and pleasing yet still uniquely Pixies. On top are layered vocals of Black Francis and Emma just creating this satisfying layer for the listener that the track couldn’t have without. For me as well the song is just so damn catchy with the chorus and melody being stuck in my head for ages now, I’m not complaining though.
Given the band’s era-defining legendary status, my expectations for the album were high and at first, I felt the music fell short of the mark, however, the more I listened it was clear that perhaps my original views were rooted in nostalgia for the band’s earlier work, when Kim Deal was still a member. That classic sound is certainly still clouded in on this project, for sure, in between the jangly and extraordinary sound and fun, horror-themed lyrics there were still one or two songs me that I couldn’t quite get on with. Mercy Me is one such track, for me due to the slow nature of the song just not blending in well with the rest, the spooky theme is there but doesn’t have the sort of anxious pacing that most other tracks contain. Not a bad song by any means, but in the landscape of this album it doesn’t work.
Pixies are one of my favourite bands of all time and it’s just fantastic to see them keep making great music at a time when there’s perhaps a decline in the quality of some band’s new stuff. Seeing an iconic, era-defining band from the 1980s still thrive in today’s musical climate is wonderful to witness and comment on and I’m sure they’ll continue to keep this up for as long as they still go. In my opinion, this album is a solid 6.5/7 out of 10. It’s great and certainly worth a listen but would still listen to Surfer Rosa or Doolittle first.
Pixies: The Night the Zombies Came – Out 25 October 2024 (BMG)
