Pixies' Black Francis on 'The Night the Zombies Came,' 35 years of 'Doolittle' and Steve Albini

NEW YORK -- The undead, Medieval-themed suburban restaurants, nan mall. Druidism, decapitated chickens, rebirth. Church, sheep slaughter, subject fiction. These are a few, not all, of nan topics touched upon connected nan Pixies' 10th studio album, “The Night nan Zombies Came."

A 13-track kaleidoscopic postulation of songs — their first pinch caller bassist Emma Richardson — nan medium veers from people to punk to psychedelia and backmost again and successful between, ne'er neatly fitting into a peculiar formula.

In truth, “The Night nan Zombies Came” plays retired much for illustration a film, each opus a mini vignette. Frontman and ocular creator Black Francis, calved Charles Thompson, says that's peculiarly evident successful their slow aliases midtempo songs — nan ones wherever they worth abstraction and reverb — an energetic prime arsenic good arsenic a philharmonic one.

“When you play, like, surf music, but you benignant of dress it up successful a small spot of a tuxedo aliases whatever, and you extremity up coming up pinch thing that's a small much spaghetti Western, right? Or much and you know, Ennio Morricone,” he says. “We’re not very bully astatine immoderate peculiar genre. We for illustration each of nan genres of alleged celebrated music.”

That's evident crossed “The Night nan Zombies Came." Eclectic people moments propulsion power from Shirley Collins; Black's chanty monotone connected “Jane (The Night nan Zombies Came)” is each Baxter Dury meets Sleaford Mods, though he says nan opus is “a substance of Lou Reed and religion music.” The quirky palm-muted guitar popular of “Hypnotized” is loosely written successful nan style of a sestina, a poetic form. Closer “The Vegas Suite” is based disconnected nan 1950s modular “Que Sera, Sera.”

“There isn't really a unifying theme,” Francis says — and location really hasn't been 1 connected immoderate of nan Pixies' albums.

But listeners, of course, are free to tie their ain connections: Like nan 1 that mightiness beryllium made betwixt “Ernest Evans,” a rollicking burst astir American vocalist Chubby Checker, champion known for “The Twist" and “Kings of nan Prairie," inspired by Mexican troubadours touring nan West Coast. There, nan image of an exhaustive capacity schedule — nan unfastened road, an endless oversea of motel doors and gigging — feels for illustration a thematic throughline successful an medium of unexpected turns.

And it works: nan Pixies person ever been outsiders; it's what makes their euphony connect.

Earlier this year, nan Pixies' “Doolittle,” 1 of nan great replacement stone records of nan past fewer decades — and surely nan 1 that cemented his set arsenic an eccentric, strange, revolutionary force successful guitar music soon to beryllium acknowledged by nan mainstream — turned 35. Francis isn't 1 to usage an day arsenic a instrumentality for reflection, rather, suggesting that his narration pinch nan medium has remained nan same. “I deliberation we knew we were doing bully activity astatine nan time,” he says. “We were gladsome group liked it.”

“At nan consequence of sounding faux-humble, it's not really my position to benignant of go, ‘Well, here’s really my euphony sits successful nan pantheon of records and what it intends and each that (expletive),'” he says. “It's difficult to talk astir your ain records arsenic being quote-unquote influential aliases important aliases immoderate because yeah, it sounds a small crass.”

“Doolittle” follows “Surfer Rosa,” nan band's canonized 1988 medium known to Nirvana fans nan world complete arsenic nan 1 that inspired Kurt Cobain's songwriting connected nan 1991 landmark album “Nevermind." It's 1 galore fans person been returning to successful 2024, pursuing nan untimely decease of its legendary producer, Steve Albini aft a bosom onslaught successful May. He was 61.

“It was nice, successful a way, to activity pinch personification who wasn’t taking it each excessively seriously, wasn’t taking america that seriously, was a small benignant of almost dismissive,” he says of moving pinch Albini. “That is simply a reside ... that 1 tin return erstwhile you’re making your creation aliases immoderate that tin beryllium useful. It tin beryllium useful to not return it each excessively seriously. That you person to beryllium consenting to conscionable go, ‘It’s good, but we could conscionable besides destruct it each correct now and commencement over.’ I mean, you person to not beryllium truthful precious astir it."