Pixies – Indie Cindy Review

Pixies felt as though they had unfinished business around the time of Indie Cindy. Their slight dip in form, their sudden switch-up from alternative rock pioneers to one in the crowd of musicians they helped define. They fell out of step with what made their sound unique on Bossanova, though it was still enjoyable. People still took the ride even as the wheels came off. It took some time for Pixies to re-establish themselves in the studio, as is only natural for a band which has not played together for decades. Their studio presence is still a strong draw, though their album works struggled under the weight of demand. Listeners wanted the so-called old Pixies, the band which blurred those loud and quiet tones with ease. That is not who they were on Bossanova, let alone decades on from those heady days reinventing alternative rock roots.  

What, then, does Pixies do for their second round? Little in the way of the alternative rock which defined them, which makes sense as they had lost the ability to make that long before this reunion. But they still cannot break from the pack, in fact, it sounds as though they are happy to blend in. Not to coast off the hits, but to create without expectation. Those pangs of crunching bone and violence are still a part of their sound, but it feels a little artificial for opener What Goes Boom. We are waiting for an implosion which never comes. Passive early songs are at least filled with the suggestive charms Francis Black maintains in his best works. Slightly underwhelming instrumental work but such is the point of early 2000s alternative rock. Pixies are not trying to push the bar higher and higher for their first album in over a decade, they are just glad to be back working together. That is enough for Indie Cindy.  

Accept those not as shortcomings but as moments to hear where the band could head. Indie Cindy is a taster palette, and much better once heard as such. The title track has a nice spread on offer for fans. Bagboy is a sound of what should have come on future releases, but it was not to be. Pixies thrive on the simpler sections, when backed by a one-line contrast, they are unstoppable. Instrumental solidity, too, makes this EP compilation a worthy listen, though it makes the EPs these songs are stripped from redundant in the process.  Even without Kim Deal, the instrumental section, particularly the rhythm, is maintained. The Fall member Simon Archer makes sure of it. Though the remaining original members had moulded themselves into formidable stage features, their decade of playing the hits seemingly ran dry, hence Indie Cindy and the easy-sounding riffs and fretwork heard throughout. Filler for the setlist.  

An album of moments rather than a whole experience, but what else can be expected of songs cobbled together as a borderline compilation? There are some beautiful moments scattered throughout, the double bill of Blue Eyed Hex and Ring the Bell for instance, but little else. A return is as a return does, and for Pixies it is solid enough. There is a welcome feeling to their work, a warm feeling which will no doubt be warmer for fans with a longer history with the band than those finding them through Indie Cindy. Nice work overall, but the placidity which takes place would take nearly a decade for the group to shake off. They got there eventually, though you can hear the shortcomings which became staples of their sound take their place on Indie Cindy. An aimlessness prevails, though there are stellar moments within.