Culture

Rating: 2/5

Most big bands like to make it obvious when they’re releasing new material – ads, fan announcements, at least a few posters. That was not the case for the new Pixies EP, offhandedly titled EP-1, which just sort of appeared last Tuesday and seems to have gone unnoticed since. Perhaps they were hoping that their first new material in ten years (following the excellent single “Bag Boy” in June) would create hype enough on its own. Strangely, it was not to be.

Listening to EP-1 for the first time is an odd experience. It is the Pixies’ first release without the legendary bassist Kim Deal, but even then I expected it to sound at least a bit like their usual, distinctive selves. Instead we are greeted by “Andro Queen,” a low-key, spacey number featuring Black Francis singing with … is that autotune? It seems unfathomable, but knowing the Pixies it must all be part of some clever plan, right? Right, guys …?

If there is a clever plan in play, it isn’t revealed in second song “Another Toe In The Ocean” either. I’ve done my best to enjoy this song and make excuses for it, but quite frankly, it’s terrible. One deliberately catchy hook and a few contrived riffs is literally all it has to offer; I practically knew the words off by heart by the end of my first listen. Witty as the Pixies are, irony is no excuse for producing something that wouldn’t be out of place being remixed by DJs wearing their caps backward and sunglasses indoors.

After these first two tracks, I found myself wondering whether this actually is the Pixies, or if someone messed with the files and the $4 I paid for the download is now funding a pyramid scheme in Nigeria. A comparable situation would be the first time I heard the song “Golden Lights” by The Smiths, and that song is just fucking weird.

However, there is a bit of hope in the third track, “Indie Cindy,” a decent alt-pop number more in line with what you’d expect from the band. It’s catchy but not shamelessly so, and features spoken verses from Francis as well as some calculated hooks.

This is followed by another complete change of tack. “What Goes Boom” is one of the heaviest songs the band has ever produced, and my favourite track on the EP. There’s definitely no autotune to be found on this one – just a series of badass riffs and a bit of haptic feedback to let us know they still don’t give a shit, which is reassuring.

EPs don’t really need to be cohesive works, but EP-1’s disjointedness borders on ridiculous. Hopefully they hone in on one of their new sounds before embarking on a new full-length, rather than repeat EP-1’s creative disarray. Then I won’t have to lie awake at night having a vicarious identity crisis for one of my favourite bands.

We can but hope.