Jay Blakesberg
Recording Indie Cindy reminded drummer David Lovering (left) of the band's early days.
Many Pixies fans thought they'd never see the alt-rock pioneers perform live after the band broke up in 1993. But lo and behold, the group returned to the stage in 2004. They didn't return to the studio much, though, not until recently, when they started recording tracks for their new LP, Indie Cindy. The band visit the Orpheum on Sunday, Oct. 12.
Pixies turned to longtime producer Gil Norton and started releasing EPs of songs last year. The EPs in turn led to a full album.
"After writing songs, going into the studio and getting a whole album's worth, we kept on with that EP idea," says drummer David Lovering. "It's a nice surprise for the fans, because when we released something, we just said it was EP 1 and didn't [give] any suggestion that it wasn't anything other than EP 1. And then a couple months later, EP 2 comes out, and that doesn't give any suggestion of EP 3."
Lovering says Indie Cindy makes sense as a follow-up to 1991's Trompe le Monde, even though bassist Kim Deal left the band prior to recording to focus on her own music. He admits that her departure hit him hard.
"Her bass playing is a grooving thing to play along with, and Kim and I got along. We all got along. It was just a wonderful experience. So when she did leave it was... really eye-opening."
While the band have left the door open for Deal to return, they're happy with current bassist Paz Lenchantin, who has joined them to tour this year.
"There are people that say if it's not Kim, it's not the Pixies, which I understand. When a key member goes, it's a tough thing," Lovering says. "But audiences have loved Paz. She's gone over very, very well."
He adds that Lenchantin brings a great sense of humor to the group and can also play violin, piano and guitar. And her guitar skills enable the band to do acoustic sessions for radio, something they couldn't do very often before.
At first Lovering was tentative about writing and recording new music. After all, 1991 was a long time ago. But as the band started laying down tracks, it felt like the early days, particularly creating their 1987 debut, Come on Pilgrim.
"We had a few songs floating around for about a year, and I had a lot of time to work on it, so I knew the songs very well and was very confident with it," Lovering says. "When I went in the studio, it was... just a joy to work."
Lovering is inspired by the continued support of fans.
"When we were playing Coachella in 2004, I looked out and saw a sea of kids who weren't even born when our records were [coming] out, yet they knew every word in every song, and they sang along," he says. "Now there are kids coming to our shows who weren't even born in 2004."
