The forthcoming effort, described as a blend of “gruesome folk, ballroom pop and brutal rock”, will arrive September 30 via BMG
(Image credit: Mike Lewis Photography/Redferns via Getty)
Pixies have officially announced Doggerel, their first studio LP in three years, and have ushered in the news by dropping the effort’s lead single, There’s a Moon On.
Due September 30 via BMG, the 12-track effort will be the alt-rock titans’ first album since 2019’s Beneath the Eyrie, and has been described as a “mature yet visceral record of gruesome folk, ballroom pop and brutal rock”.
There’s a Moon On fits more comfortably into the rock camp, calling upon an anthemic collection of electric guitars that delivers both double-note bends and moody open chord strums. A pair of quick-fire guitar solos emphasize this, courtesy of some infectious phrases and selective licks.
The track follows Human Crime– released as a standalone digital-exclusive single back in March – which will not be included on the Doggerel tracklist.
According to the band, Doggerel will showcase Pixies’ evolution as songwriters, with guitarist Joey Santiago reflecting, “This time around we have grown. We no longer have under two-minute songs. We have little breaks, more conventional arrangements but still our twists in there.”
Vocalist Charles Thompson – aka Black Francis – concurred: “We're trying to do things that are very big and bold and orchestrated. The punky stuff, I really like playing it but you just cannot artificially create that shit.
“There's another way to do this,” he added. “There's other things we can do with this extra special energy that we're encountering.”
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Doggerel is the result of what has been described as a “record with an unusual genesis”. Back in late 2021, Francis brought a whopping 40 songs to a set of sessions that saw him link up with producer Tom Dalgety.
Pixies Doggerel album cover (Image credit: Press)
The pair then reunited with the rest of the band to complete the album, with Santiago receiving his first Pixies songwriting credits on the tracks Doggerel and Dregs of the Wine.
According to a statement, that latter track is also set to be “the first and last Pixies song to name-check Van Halen”.
The tracklist for Doggerel can be found below.
Nomatterday
Vault of Heaven
Dregs of the Wine
Haunted House
Get Simulated
The Lord Has Come Back Today
Thunder & Lightning
There’s A Moon On
Pagan Man
Who’s More Sorry Now?
You’re Such A Sadducee
Doggerel
Doggerel is available to preorder now via BMG ahead of its September 30 release.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
