The Pixies Release “The Night The Zombies Came” with Bassist Emma Richardson

by Kevin Johnson Saturday, November 2nd, 2024

Pixies: The Night The Zombies Came

The Pixies have just released The Night the Zombies Came, which marks their 10th studio album overall. Another milestone is that it is the first record with their new bassist, Emma Richardson, who joined earlier this year. Known for her work in Band of Skulls, Richardson stepped in with the departure of Paz Lenchantin in March.

The Night the Zombies Came is a wide-ranging effort with styles ranging from folk to punk with a good dash of Pink Floyd-ian psychedelia thrown in for good measure. ““When you play, like, surf music, but you kind of dress it up in a little bit of a tuxedo or whatever, and you end up coming up with something that’s a little more spaghetti Western, right? Or more and you know, Ennio Morricone,” frontman Black Francis told Maria Sherman in an interview. “We’re not very good at any particular genre. We like all of the genres of so-called popular music.”

Richardson’s bass work is key to the music from the very opening track, “Primrose,” where her growling tone adds grit while following the vocal line. In an interview with Guitar World, she explains how she approached her bass lines as a newcomer.

“For me as a bass player, you don’t want to be noticed too much. You want to be there as the glue to hold things down, ” Richardson explains. “But it’s also about being able to add emotion and keeping things in line with what they wanted. They seem really happy with what I came up with and I’m super-happy to work with them. The record and the tour was a beautiful way to get to know the material.”