Pixies – ‘The Night the Zombies Came’ album review: beautifully punk
THE SKINNY: The Pixies‘ tenth album brings a blend of significant and subtle changes, especially with the addition of former Skill of Bones’ Emma Richardson following Paz Lenchantin’s departure earlier this year. However, with the band recently declaring their mission to avoid sounding like a Pixies cover band, this record also marks a key moment where the new lineup has produced as much material as the original, making their mix of past, present, and future influences feel especially endearing.
The Pixies have always had a knack for knowing when to turn up the intensity and when to dial it back, with punk tracks that are just as enticing as they are energetic. Their dreamlike and contemplative songs contrast these by often offering just enough without revealing too much. On Zombies, the most notable contrast is how Richardson’s contributions beautifully complement Black Francis’s lead vocals, elevating any pre-existing emotional intensity to new heights.
Holistically, the record also benefits from Tom Dalgety’s penchant for producing music that emits a traditional, well-rounded rock sound, even when the more punkish sensibilities come to the fore. This means that, in keeping with their mantra of sounding authentically Pixies without overly trying to recreate the past, Zombies whips up a heady dose of everything fans might have come to expect without sounding too stagnant or stale.
In fact, staleness is nowhere to be seen throughout this album, which feels almost like an illicit affair in today’s musical landscape. In this case, however, even the slower-paced rock tracks maintain a fresh feel, thanks partly to the band’s knack for keeping things unpredictable when it counts. Tracklisting is often an overlooked aspect of record assembly, but everything here feels meticulously placed, presenting an album that was no doubt curated with the utmost attention to detail.
For fans of: Pixies.
A concluding comment from a haunted house attraction: “Just in time.”
The Night the Zombies Came track by track:
Release date: October 25th | Producer: Tom Dalgety | Label: BMG
‘Primrose’: In line with its central theme of revival, Zombies opens with a haunting ballad exploring the uncertainty of what’s real and what’s imagined. The question, “Is it even real? Who knows?” feels like an apt mantra for the Pixies’ tenth album, reflecting the ambiguity and introspection that permeates the record, all supported by a slow build of soothing vocal harmonies and delicate yet assured guitar work—setting the perfect tone for this moment in their career. [4.5/5]
‘You’re So Impatient’: True to their signature style, ‘You’re So Impatient’ is fast-paced, brash, and a stark contrast to the intricate ‘Primrose’. While ‘You’re So Impatient’ might be more skippable than Primrose, it still highlights the band’s dedication to offering a diverse mix of sounds—blending facets of their past, present, and future. [3/5]
‘Jane (The Night the Zombies Came)’: It might not feel like there’s enough variation to ‘Jane’, given that it’s the title track, but the subdued nature of the song works well with the album’s broader note of melancholy, as the minor tones provide an enhanced sense emotional depth that ties it all together neatly. Plus, it feels like an immediate Halloween classic. [3.5/5]
‘Chicken’: Executed with the same kind of ballad appeal as ‘Primrose’, ‘Chicken’ is a strange affair from the first line (“Sometimes I feel like a chicken / Pecking my way through the trees / When something aloft cuts my head right off / Now I’m dealing with decapitation”). Heating up the record’s cinematic aspect, this track could be viewed as another melancholic piece or one with an element of tongue-in-cheek playfulness, or both—either way, the whole thing feels like a disparate venture into the kind of darkness they began to explore more openly on Doggerel. [4/5]
‘Hypnotised’: The Pixies have always excelled at aligning their musical arrangements with their themes, and ‘Hypnotised’ is yet another example of the band using emotional nuance to mirror the subject matter of their lyrics. Writing the song, newer lyrical contributor Joey Santiago wrote a sestina to make the song feel like a stream of riddle-induced consciousness, resulting in something that feels simple yet mysterious. [3.5/5]
‘Johnny Good Man’: Adhering to more conventional rock realms, ‘Johnny Good Man’ incorporates excellent guitar work with an endearing melody throughout, proving that Pixies will always be the least tryhard outfit out there, even after all these years in the game. Always striving to be anything but a Pixies cover band, ‘Johnny Good Man’ proves that bands can be traditional without seeming stagnant or predictable. [4/5]
‘Motoroller’: This song is undeniably enhanced by Richardson’s endearing harmonies, transforming the song from a more straightforward rock effort to one with a more 1970s-esque flair. Her contributions also give the track a more overtly emotional layer, making it sound more nostalgic than they likely intended. [3.5/5]
‘I Hear You Mary’: No matter how easily the songs on Zombies resonate immediately, the guitar work and drum beats always hold a significant amount of pull, which is undeniably the case on ‘I Hear You Mary’. This song draws you in from the opening notes before the energy of the melody intensifies the entire experience even further, evoking the same kind of darkly endearing appeal as ‘Jane’. [4.5/5]
‘Oyster Beds’: A momentary return to Pixies’ energetic punkish attitude fills the entirety of ‘Oyster Beds’, which again feels more driven by pace and guitar work to create an uncompromising rock track free from the shackles of niceties. [3/5]
‘Mercy Me’: Undeniably the standout of the entire album, ‘Mercy Me’ exudes an immediate Lou Reed disposition with its slower, more deliberate contemplative feel. Richardson’s harmonies return, enhancing its appeal while maintaining its ballad feel, proving that Pixies are one of the few bands who can get away with doing very little and still emerge explosively, evoking overwhelming emotions through subtleties. [4.5/5]
‘Ernest Evans’: Without lingering too long on the more heartfelt tracks, ‘Ernest Evans’ may also carry a certain skippable feel, but it’s worth noting the prowess of the guitar work once again and the various ways this layer always makes Pixies’ music feel more intricate, even when leaning into their more signature punk tendencies. [3/5]
‘Kings of the Prairie’: That endearing 1970s-esque, road-trip aura comes to the fore again on ‘Kings of the Prairie’, making the simplicity of the chorus forgivable, as the nostalgic element shines brighter than the slight lack of substance. [3.5/5]
‘The Vegas Suite’: A standout alongside ‘Mercy Me’, Zombies closes strongly with ‘The Vegas Suite’. Lines like, “If I don’t make it / There are lots of other places,” tap into the band’s endearing playfulness once again, while the guitar provides a fitting curtain call. However, instead of a typical finale, it feels more like a brief pause that invites curiosity about what might come next. [4.5/5]
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