I was 21 when I bravely got ‘Number 13’ brandished upon the right side of my chest in tribute to the Pixies lyric: “Got a tattooed tit / Say number thirteen” – how funny and witty I thought it was. After releasing 2013’s lukewarm Indie Cindy in an unapologetic garish orange cover – the announcement of Head Carrier was certain to turn a few heads. Indie Cindy lacked a little bit of the conviction that was demonstrated through their earlier catalogue. Albums like Doolittle, Come On Pilgrim and Surfa Rosa are the reason many current artists play guitar so the jury was certain to be out on how they would return. Indie Cindy was slightly hidden behind Record Store Day releases whereas Head Carrier stands butt-naked in front of a fan base of music snobs, artists and youthful hipsters holding the sword of judgement.

Kicked into public view via ‘Um Chagga Lagga’, the ‘post-reunion’ album, Head Carrier, was announced back in early July along with a full European tour – the UK dates were snapped up in minutes (much to my dismay after previously being scalped £129 for a ticket in November 2013). The group were allowed free rein when it came to writing the songs on this occasion, whereas previously albums have been recorded in a rush with time restraints, the fleshing time allowed on Head Carrier stipulates the sound of the album by far and large. Any fans fraught over whether this would reduce that desperation in Francis and co need not worry – kicks are still found within lamenting tension, just see songs such as ‘Baals Back’ for examples of this. Black Francis’ voice yelps, screams and carries itself in a way ‘I’ve Been Tired’ did 19 years ago.

Francis and co have introduced their new bassist, Paz Lenchantin, along for their new LP. Lenchantin has been touring with the group since early 2015 and her standout moment on Head Carrier comes in the form of ‘All I Think About Is Now’, a song written by her and Francis but sung by herself – it acts as a touching tribute to longstanding bassist, Kim Deal:

“That’s all I think about now /
I remember we were happy /
That’s all I think about now /
If you have any doubt /
I want to thank you anyhow”

To compare Paz’s work to Kim’s is to undermine the song and similarly, place her in competition with Deal. It’s important to recognise the two are separate entities and, taking her song in objectivity, it’s a fantastic and sentimental cornerstone in Head Carrier.

The album cuts itself nicely between the early Pixies material and the surf-rock sound they found themselves edging towards in the early 90s – ‘Might As Well Be Gone’, sees Santiago’s guitar sing in a way it did during the days of Bossanova, coursing above vocals and cutting through Lovering’s drums; ‘Bel Esprit’ swoons as Lenchantin and Francis share vocals and ‘Plaster of Paris’ carries a tinge of 80s pop-punk, barely a stone’s throw from The Jesus and Mary Chain’s Darklands material. Head Carrier has a production sheen to it and this doesn’t necessarily diminish the quality of the songs, in fact it makes them sound rather quite beautiful at times, just see the album closer ‘All The Saints’ for an example of this.

Head Carrier begins to stand much higher than Indie Cindy did – it feels more relevant as an album and less pieced together. Album opener, ‘Head Carrier’ carries immediacy with its every step, it lunges you into the album and suggests the group have shrugged off any post-Deal hangups. The speed in which the album-titled track introduces you with is swept away with ‘Classic Masher’, a song that takes from the seminal piece of advice that the Pixies introduced in songwriting – loud, quiet, loud. It arguably allows itself to be the most obvious single on the album and certainly lends itself as a crowd pleaser for any lucky attendee on their upcoming tour.

The song titles stand out in a very un-Pixies fashion, ‘Oona’, ‘Um Chagga Lagga’ and ‘Baals Back’ – but hidden within the misty titles are lyrics that are otherwise very Pixies as Black Francis’ semantic equations flaunt throughout Head Carrier. Francis pieces together characters, locations and stories, setting scenes and balancing emotions upon his pedestal of words – they speak just as loud as they did on Doolittle and the like. Like the song ‘Bel Esprit’:

“He did his little dance /
There up in the north of Spain /
Danced all the way to France /
Just to try and bring her rain”

They riddle and pulsate as phrases and provide the necessary ingredients to set vivid scenes.

The album rarely drops in how it delivers, although the sound is intrinsically very Pixies, it receives a new gloss, it feels fresh and it’s refreshing to know that they still sound as relevant as they did in their heyday. Bizarrely, the preceding singles act as the weaker sections of the album, ‘Talent’ tries to grapple with the post-punk sounds of Come On Pilgrim but with its 2016 polish, it feels slightly contrived. ‘Um Chagga Lagga’ is slightly better but still seems to veer off course at times and ‘Tenement Song’ once again sounds slightly too over-produced for the sound that it intends to produce.

On the whole fans of the Pixies are likely to be happy with the album. It’s certainly not the strongest album the group have produced and therefore not necessarily a great starting point for new fans. However, it is much better than Indie Cindy and who knows, if Lenchantin continues to solidify her role in the group and step out of the looming shadow left by Deal, the group may tap into a new vein on their next album. It’s refreshing to hear the group veer in new directions without being too afraid of their seminal past.
Tom Churchill

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