Could a new Pixies classic be on the way? Joey Santiago wants to get into that 'frame of mind'

If you were to inquire what Joey Santiago and the Pixies were similar a procreation ago, you’d beryllium met with an array of antithetic answers. According to a 1991 relationship from The Times, the set descended upon the Hollywood Palladium 1 December evening, blistery connected the heels of its latest medium “Trompe Le Monde,” successful melodramatic fashion.

“The Pixies — anchored by David Lovering’s hard-driving drumming and Kim Deal’s booming bass, and marked by Joey Santiago’s distorted guitar crunches — person go a terrific unrecorded band, astir capable to lucifer the sonic rewards of their albums,” Steve Hochman wrote of the occasion.

“What counts is that the combinations of euphony and words and yelps onslaught nerves,” helium added. “And, successful truth, there’s much to galore Pixies songs than that.”

Indeed, determination was and is. But unluckily for fans of the Boston foursome, “Trompe Le Monde” would beryllium the past medium they heard from the radical earlier its untimely demise conscionable 2 years later, oregon truthful they thought.

Shockingly, the set would get backmost unneurotic much than a decennary later, swapping bassist Kim Deal for Kim Shattuck, past Paz Lenchantin, earlier landing connected Emma Richardson. Fans were greeted with a reunion circuit that saw them featured successful some Coachella and Lollapalooza, leaving them excited for what was to come. But, it would beryllium different exhausting hold of 10 years until they got their hands connected “Indie City,” the group’s 5th workplace medium released successful 2014.

(L-R) Joey Santiago, Black Francis, Emma Richardson, and David Lovering of the Pixies.

(Travis Shinn)

It’s present an further 10 years later, and the set has travel afloat circle. They volition erstwhile again play the Palladium connected June 20 and 21 — the erstwhile volition spot them execute “Trompe Le Monde” successful its entirety, conscionable arsenic they did 34 years ago.

“It’s large due to the fact that determination are songs successful it that we hardly play,” Santiago says of the album. “So those are going to spell backmost successful rotation, and it gives america much songs to take from.”

“The lone occupation is switching guitars. There’s a batch of switching guitars around,” helium says with a laugh.

He’s sat comfortably successful what appears to beryllium an bureau space. Atop his caput is simply a greenish and achromatic hat, with “LA” embroidered connected its front. He’s got a achromatic beard , which makes consciousness for the 60-year-old begetter of two.

It’s a communicative each excessively acquainted to the ‘90s greats — his bandmate, Frank Black, besides has 2 kids, and truthful does drummer Dave Lovering.

“After our 3rd year, pre-breakup, it became wherever it [touring] was conscionable exhausting,” Santiago says, via Zoom. “No substance what property you are, it’s exhausting. … I took my kids [to shows] conscionable for 3 days successful the aforesaid damn clip zone, they were exhausted.”

The cardinal to keeping up betwixt each the touring and medium releases, according to him, is to perceive to caller music.

“You gotta provender the kitty oregon whatever,” helium jokes.

He considers discovering euphony to beryllium “part of the work,” and a important measurement to generating caller ideas for the group. He says he’s been frequenting Wet Leg vigor recently: “It’s new, it’s caller and it doesn’t suck.”

It’s been an important origin erstwhile it comes to their latest releases, specified arsenic their newest project, “The Night the Zombies Came,” which was released successful October 2024. Unlike different post-breakup albums, this 1 allowed Santiago overmuch much state erstwhile it came to laying down tracks. It shows betwixt his “long solos” and other guitar work, which helium says felt similar helium had returned to playing arsenic helium did erstwhile helium was a kid.

“It’s what I would person done if I were inactive successful mediate schoolhouse oregon precocious school,” helium says. “That benignant of thing.”

And yet, fans person inactive been captious of the band’s benignant since their reunion, fearful that they whitethorn ne'er instrumentality to the dependable that erstwhile changeable them to fame connected albums similar “Surfer Rosa” and “Doolittle.” It seems to enactment the radical successful a tricky spot, perpetually trying to germinate portion besides drafting upon their roots.

“It does dependable different, and hey, we’re antithetic people,” Santiago says.

He seemingly takes it each successful stride, noting that portion helium is trying to “get backmost successful that framework of mind” seen connected those aforementioned albums. “Everyone’s got to beryllium connected the aforesaid page,” helium said.

“In the expansive strategy of things, it’s damned if you do, damned if you don’t,” helium continues. “If we’re excessively different, we’re gonna get flack for it. If we marque ‘Doolittle’ portion two, we’re gonna get flack for it.”

Joey Santiago poses for the camera. He’s been with the set since it’s precise birth.

(Travis Shinn)

As for the future, the set simply plans connected continuing to bash what it has ever done best: making stone music. The members don’t look apt to marque immoderate melodramatic transitions into immoderate different genres, and don’t wage overmuch caput to ongoing trends wrong the euphony industry. They’re your classical “Buddy Holly setup” with an “occasional splash of keyboards.”

“If you privation guitar music, you tin spell to a fewer bands that volition supply it, and we’re 1 of them,” helium notes.

And possibly it is this precise attack that has helped them to support their aboriginal fans portion inactive appealing to younger audiences. That, oregon societal media, wherever songs similar “Where Is My Mind?” and “Monkey Gone to Heaven” are reposted hundreds of thousands of times crossed assorted platforms. Though it besides whitethorn beryllium worthy giving a motion to that last country successful “Fight Club.”

“It feels good,” Santiago says. “We’re lucky.”

It’s adjacent been truthful infectious that astatine home, helium tin nary longer shy distant from his change ego comfortably.

“They’re starting to get what I’m doing,” helium says of his kids, with a smile. “They started getting astatine maine 2 years ago.”

“They’re of that age, wherever they’ll spell places and perceive the Pixies. Their friends volition say, ‘hey, person you ever heard of the Pixies? They’re truly good.’ Professors are mentioning the Pixies. Parents are mentioning the Pixies. So they know, and they similar it.”