The Boston, Massachusetts-based influential alternative rock band Pixies, debuted the music video for their latest single “Long Rider” off the group’s seventh studio album, Beneath the Eyrie that was released on September 13 via BMG/Infectious. The picturesque video tells the true life story of tragedy striking a woman’s life doing what she was so passionate about, surfing. The track was co-written by Pixies bass player Paz Lenchantin and Pixies lead vocalist Black Francis is presented in the music video in “…a surreal, dream-like fashion, the video takes its cue from the tragic death of Desiree, an ardent surfer and close friend of Lenchantin’s whose final wave claimed her life a couple of years ago.”

The visual for “Long Rider” is poetic as it is also an endearing homage in its subject matter. Instead of telling the story matter factly, it is fantastical in that it features a coven of young female girls holding rose pedals as they walk along a beach. In the opening of the video, rose pedals spell out Pixies in the sand before dissolving in the water as soon as a wave hits the shore. The role of Desiree, as previously reported in a press release, shows that “…the clip features pro-surfer Danica Elbertse, a good pal of Lenchantin’s.  Lenchantin, a long-time fan of the 1960’s surf films, especially those by the ’60s and ‘7’s celebrated filmmaker George Greenough, shot the video on 16mm film with the water sequences filmed on a Super 8 camera explicitly made for underwater filming.”

It is refreshing to hear Pixies stay loyal to the sound that paved the way for such beloved bands as Nirvana, The Smiths and such contemporaries as The Flaming Lips to be uncompromising in their sound. As previously stated here on mxdwn, what Pixies do exceptionally well on Beneath the Eyrie is, “…warp today’s reality by making you forget you are listening to a record released in 2019. If you close your eyes for a moment, you may imagine you have escaped to a world where computer algorithms and auto-tune machines never produced a hit single.”

Pixies current touring lineup includes Black Francis (lead vocalist/rhythm guitar), Joey Santiago (lead guitarist/keyboards), David Lovering (drums) and Paz Lenchantin (bass/violin/backing vocals). Reflecting on who Desiree was as a person and what she meant to her, Lenchantin recalls how the video helps alleviate the tragedy that took place. Rather than lamenting about the fatal dangers that could occur while surfing. Lenchantin places fate as to the demise of her good friend Desiree and how in hindsight that wasn’t going to stop her late great friend saying:

“It was almost as if Desiree had this dream before she went surfing that morning, and hints at that even if she had known her fate, she would still have taken that wave.”

As previously reported on mxdwn here is the comprehensive Pixies tour dates for 2019:

Pixies 2019 Tour Dates

9/25 Ulster Hall – Belfast, UK
9/26 Olympia Theatre – Dublin, Ireland
9/29 Sentrum Scene – Oslo, Norway
9/30 Cirkus – Stockholm, Sweden
10/1 KB Hallen- Copenhagen, Denmark
10/3 TivoliVredenburg- Utrecht, The Netherlands
10/4 O13 Poppodium- Tilburg, The Netherlands
10/5 Columbiahalle- Berlin, Germany
10/7 Palladium – Cologne, Germany
10/8 Forum Karlin- Prague, Czech Republic
10/9 Gasometer- Vienna, Austria
10/11 PalaDozza- Bologna, Italy
10/12 Todays at OGR- Turin, Italy
10/13 X-Tra, Zurich- Switzerland
10/15 Tonhalle, Munich- Germany
10/16 Forest National- Brussels, Belgium
10/17 Luxexpo- Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
10/19 L’Olympia- Paris, France
10/20 Le Radiant- Lyon, France
10/21 Le Liberte- Rennes, France
10/23 Sant Jordi Club- Barcelona, Spain
10/24 Riviera- Madrid, Spain
10/25 Campo Pequeno- Lisbon, Portugal
10/26 Coliseum- Galicia, Spain
12/2 – Los Angeles, CA – The Troubadour
12/3 – Los Angeles, CA – The Troubadour
12/5 – San Francisco, CA – August Hall
12/9 – New York, NY – Webster Hall
12/11 – Boston, MA – Big Night Live
12//12 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre

To listen to “Long Rider” stream below, via YouTube.

Photo Credit: Raymond Float