With a line-up that has been stable for a few years, Black Francis seems to have decided that it’s now time for Pixies to embrace their role as Rock’s Elder Statesmen by taking the best bits of their sound and adding something of a more mature sheen. That’s not to say that the band have recently lurched into easy listening pop territory, but with Beneath the Eyrie it finally seems natural to consider Pixies on the same terms as some of their heroes and influences, like Lou Reed, Leonard Cohen and Neil Young.
Beneath the Eyrie is a stew of sunny power pop with slyly twisted lyrics, country rock flavours and even arch gothic folk music that moves from the raw and driving “On Graveyard Hill” to the laidback “Catfish Kate” and the almost theatrical “This is my Fate” without drawing breath. “Long Rider” plays the signature loud-quiet-loud schtick with a fiery guitar solo from Joey Santiago, while the Tex-Mex rocker “St Nazaire” is loud and lairy with a forceful groove, howling vocals and plenty of volume. In fact, there’s not a duff tune here at all, which is impressive for a band that is seven albums into its existence.
If 2016’s Head Carrier album did more than enough to persuade that Pixies again meant business after the stuttering Indie Cindy and 10 years of touring their '80s and '90s albums, Beneath the Eyrie confirms that it was no flash in the pan. Black Francis and his crew have seemingly decided that they don’t want to live in the shadow of their early classics for any longer than is absolutely necessary and while only time will tell, there are more than a few tunes here that could become part of their live set for years to come.