“In 1988, the Pixies sounded like no other band. By 1991, every band sounded like the Pixies.”

Pixies are an American alternative rock band which formed in Boston, Massachusetts, United States in 1986. The band consists of Charles “Black Francis” Thompson IV (vocals, guitar; also known as ‘’Frank Black’‘), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), David Lovering (drums) and Paz Lenchantin (bass and backup vocals). Until 2013, the band’s bassist was Kim Deal. The band officially split in 1993 and reunited in 2004. They went on hiatus in 2007, with each band member pursuing projects of their own, only to reunite in 2009, with the announcement of a new tour commencing in Europe that summer.

The band’s style of alternative rock music is heavily influenced by punk and surf rock, and while highly melodic, is capable of being tremendously abrasive at the same time. Francis is the Pixies’ primary songwriter and singer and has a distinctly desperate, yowling delivery. He has typically written cryptic songs about offbeat subjects, such as UFOs and surrealism. References to mental instability, violent Biblical imagery, and physical injury feature in many of the band’s songs.