Pixies have responded to Dave Grohl’s recent claim that their seminal debut ‘Surfer Rosa’ is “the perfect record”. Watch the full interview above.
Grohl made the comments during an appearance on BBC Radio 6Music earlier this month, when he was asked to choose the album he considered to be a masterpiece.
He then named the alt-rock legends’ 1988 debut and explained: “I love that record so much for a number of reasons. One, it was produced by the almighty Steve Albini. And it was maybe the first album to become popular and showcase his incredible engineering technique.”
He also praised Pixies frontman Black Francis’ lyrics, which are often surreal and macabre: “His lyrics… kind of tethered back and forth from abstract intellectual to things that just sounded so absurd and almost, like, dumb in a way… His voice and Kim Deal, their two voices together – it was just such a wonderful blend. And it was unusual at the time. They really did sort of coin this specific dynamic and the simplicity of it was really powerful.”
Grohl concluded: “That record I’ve probably listened to 10,000 times and I still love it. I could listen to it every day.”
Speaking to NME backstage at Madrid’s Mad Cool festival, ahead of their set on the main stage, Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer David Lovering were informed of the frontman’s praise. Asked if Grohl was right, Santiago immediately replied: “I have to agree.”
With a laugh, Lovering concurred: “I agree. It’s my favourite one.”
Santiago then enquired about Grohl’s exact phrasing. Satisfied with the word “perfect”, he joked: “As long as he didn’t say ‘great!’ He’s right.”
Pixies explained that they don’t know Grohl personally, despite their bands having had parallel careers since the ‘90s, and that their interactions are limited to airports and shows that they’ve both played.
The band were then asked what the “perfect” Foo Fighters record is. After some thought, Santiago opted for 1997’s ‘The Colour and the Shape’, Grohl’s band’s second album, praising its “good sonics” and the work of producer Gil Norton.
Last year, Santiago told Rolling Stone that the band had worked on some new demos with Tom Dalgety, the producer who helmed the latest Pixies album, 2024’s ‘The Night The Zombies Came’.
Asked for an update on new music in the new NME interview, the guitarist revealed: “We’re always in the works. Same formula. We have a break coming up in October and we’re gonna get together and piece more songs together.”
You can revisit all of NME’s coverage from Mad Cool 2026 here.
NME is the official media partner of Mad Cool.
