- You are tuned to Xfm London
- switch to Xfm Manchester
Brand New Pixies Song Released
Their sold our world tour has been receiving ecstatic reviews and their upcoming UK festival appearances are set to be some of the highlights of the summer, and now, without fanfare or fuss, the newly reformed Pixies have released a brand new song online.
The rumours of the Pixies recording new material started almost as soon as the band reformed for an American tour earlier this year. There were online reports that the band had written “A Latvian lullaby, a Czech dirge and a Bulgarian ballad” but none of these (probably fictitious) songs were included in the band’s live set lists.
However, now a brand new Pixies track, entitled ‘Bam Thwok’ has just been released on Apple’s iTunes download site. The track was released on June 9 and is solely available on the iTunes Music Store (priced 99 cents).
The song is the band's first in thirteen years, and was penned by bassist Kim Deal and produced and recorded by the Pixies at Stagg Street Studios in LA last March. According to a new statement, the music for the song came from a chord progression she had been working on for a while, and the lyrics came from an art book she found discarded on the street while touring a few years ago.
"From the handwriting, you could tell that this book must have belonged to a little kid," Deal explains, "This kid had written a short story, a paragraph really, about a party that took place in another universe, about people and monsters that were partying together. That's what provided the inspiration for the lyrics. It's a song about loving everyone, showing good will to everyone."
The band arranged and rehearsed the song at guitarist Joey Santiago's home studio, and the track (in typically bizarre Pixies-esque fashion) includes a 15-second carousel-esque organ solo performed and recorded by Santiago's father-in-law while he was doing missionary work in the Philippines year ago.
"'Bam Thwok' is a really good song," explained frontman Frank Black, "Recording it was a nice way for us to break the ice after twelve years. The recording process was very relaxed and it didn't feel like twelve years had passed."
The band - who aren't tied to a record company at present - chose to release it on iTunes as it meant they could make it availible to fans worldwide simultaneously and at a low price. The Pixies also plan to perform the new song on their current European and upcoming North American tour dates.
Coincidentally, the new UK version of iTunes is going live online tomorrow.
The Pixies full remaining European tour dates are:
- Phoenix Park, Dublin (with Red Hot Chili Peppers) (June 12)
- Paris Zenith, France (14)
- Paris Park des Princes (with Red Hot Chili Peppers) (15)
- Hultsfred Festival (17)
- Bologna Heineken Jammin' Festival (19)
- Ljubljana Krizanke Monastery (20)
- Athens Rockwave (21)
- Scheesel Hurricane Festival (25)
- Neuhausen Southside Festival (26)
- Berlin Wuhlheide (29)
- Roskilde Festival (July 2)
- Belfort Les Eurockeenes Festival (3)
- Werchter Festival (4)
- Kristiansand Quart (8)
- T in the Park Festival (11)
- V Festival (August 21 & 22)
To discuss this story on the Xfm News Messageboard click here.
Back to Music News
Have you got a music news story? E-mail the Xfm News Desk below.
Login to xfm+
latest videos
-
White Lies - 'To Lose My Life'
-
Kaiser Chiefs - 'Good Days Bad Days'
-
Oasis 'I'm Outta Time'
-
Xfm Meets New Order Part 1
How did New Order rise from the ashes of Joy Division? Peter Hook tells all.
schedule
-
now: 1:00PM - 4:00PM
The best new music and classic tunes including the X-list at 1. Email Jo.Good@xfm.co.uk or text 83xfm (standard network).
-
next: 4:00PM - 7:00PM
Drive time with Dave Berry, call Dave on 0871 222 1049 or txt 83xfm (std network).