Today, Pixies share new song ‘Oyster Beds’, taken from their recently announced studio album The Night the Zombies Came, due for release on 25th October via BMG. Listen here.
Released today, ‘Oyster Beds’ is a raw and spirited punk track that captures the essence of artistic expression. Inspired by Black Francis’ return to painting during the band’s time at Rockfield Studios, the track reflects the artwork that now sits in the hallway of Francis’ home. He describes it as “a laundry list of things I was painting over the last couple years. I took up painting again when we were recording at Rockfield, and I didn’t stop.”
‘Oyster Beds’ follows the previously released ‘Chicken’, which accompanied the album announcement and was met by widespread acclaim, with The Times including it in their Essential Tracks and Daily Telegraph in their Songs of The Week, whilst NME described it as “haunting”, MOJO as “delightfully ghoulish” and CLASH proclaimed it “Pixies at their blood-curdling best.” That was preceded by AA-side ‘You’re So Impatient’ and ‘Que Sera, Sera,’ which saw Pixies described as “alt-rock gods” by Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music.
35 years since their groundbreaking Platinum-certified album Doolittle catapulted the band into the UK Top Ten, and 20 years since their celebrated reformation at Coachella, Pixies are deep into their second act, and in the midst of a creative purple patch.
The Night the Zombies Came is Pixies’ tenth album, if you count their classic 1987 4AD mini LP Come On Pilgrim, and first new music since 2022’s acclaimed Doggerel LP. 13 new songs that find Pixies looking ahead to the most cinematic record of their career.
Druidism, apocalyptic shopping malls, mediaeval themed restaurants, 12th century poetic form, surf rock, gargoyles, bog people, and the distinctive dry drum sound of 1970s era Fleetwood Mac are just some of the disparate wonders that inform the new songs.
For the new album recording sessions the band returned to work with producer Tom Dalgety, who drummer David Lovering refers to as “a fifth Pixie” after producing 2016’s Head Carrier, 2019’s Beneath the Eyrie and 2022’s Doggerel. Early on in the recording process at Guilford Sound studio in Vermont, the band noticed the new songs were dividing into two camps: what they came to call the “Dust Bowl Songs” – country-tinged, ballad-esque numbers such as ‘Primrose’ and ‘Mercy Me’, and on the other side, the album’s furious punk numbers such as ‘You’re So Impatient’ and ‘Oyster Beds’. Only ‘Jane (The Night the Zombies Came)’ keeps its feet in both camps — reminiscent of early 60s Phil Spector, the band hitting the sweet spot between mushy and abrasive, it’s a track that Black Francis allegedly likened to being chased by a swarm of bees.
The Night the Zombies Came sessions also saw Pixies welcoming new bass player Emma Richardson (Band Of Skulls) to the line up; the first British band member to join the group. There’s also an expanded role for guitarist Joey Santiago. After contributing his first-ever Pixies lyrics on Doggerel, for the new record Santiago wrote the words to ‘Hypnotised’ by completing a complex lyrical riddle of sorts, known as a sestina.
The news of The Night the Zombies Came arrives amidst a packed touring schedule set to take in circa 70 live shows across the world through 2024 – with even more dates to be announced for 2025. The band just wrapped a tour across North America with Modest Mouse and Cat Power, and are playing through Europe before returning to the UK in August for a run of already sold out headline shows at Glasgow Academy and Halifax’s Piece Hall. Major festival performances at London’s All Points East, Victorious, and headline shows at Galway Airport, Belfast’s Custom House Square and Dublin’s RDS Simmonscourt.
The upcoming concerts mark Pixies’ second visit to the UK this year after sold out dates celebrating the Bossanova and Trompe Le Monde albums, which included a three-night residency at London’s Kentish Town Form. Looking ahead, Pixies will head for New Zealand and Australia in November for stadium gigs with Pearl Jam, closing what’s set to be a monumental year for one of the world’s most influential, revered and deeply adored bands.
The Night the Zombies Came is released on 25 October via BMG on black vinyl, CD, digital download and on streaming platforms. A crystal clear and red smoke LP will be available at HMV and independent record shops, as well as a limited edition pearlescent vinyl available from Blood Records. A crystal clear and violet smoke LP plus merchandise bundles will be available from the official Pixies store here.
The Night the Zombies Came Tracklisting
1 Primrose
2 You’re So Impatient
3 Jane (The Night the Zombies Came)
4 Chicken
5 Hypnotised
6 Johnny Good Man
7 Motoroller
8 I Hear You Mary
9 Oyster Beds
10 Mercy Me
11 Ernest Evans
12 Kings of the Prairie
13 The Vegas Suite
2024 Europe and UK Tour
August 23 – All Points East, London, UK [FESTIVAL]
August 24 – Victorious Festival, Portsmouth, UK [FESTIVAL]
August 25 – Rock en Seine, Saint-Cloud, France [FESTIVAL]
August 27 – Galway Airport, Galway, Ireland
August 28 – Custom House Square, Belfast, UK [SOLD OUT]
August 29 – RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin, Ireland
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2024 Auckland and New Zealand Tour w/ Pearl Jam
November 8 – Go Media Stadium Mt Smart, Auckland, New Zealand [SOLD OUT]
November 10 – Go Media Stadium Mt Smart, Auckland, New Zealand
November 13 – Heritage Bank Stadium, Gold Coast, Australia [SOLD OUT]
November 16 – Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, Australia [SOLD OUT]
November 18 – Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, Australia
November 21 – Giants Stadium, Sydney, Australia [SOLD OUT]
November 23 – Giants Stadium, Sydney, Australia
