Pixies’ Charles Thompson IV, also known as Black Francis, has spoken up about recent events happening in the U.S. In an interview with NME, the guitarist expressed his disapproval with the current state of the world, calling it “very dystopian.”

“Some of the events of the last few years, with the presidential election in the United States and Donald Trump and all that other nonsense, and then the coronavirus pandemic and now worldwide recession, amid these extreme weather patterns, add together all this stuff and it starts to feel very dystopian,” Francis commented. 

He went on to discuss the economic circumstances, joking: “…You see it when you go to Aldi and realise, ‘Shit, there are four security guards in this fucking discount grocery store to make I don’t run off with too many cans of tuna fish for free!’”

He addressed the overturn of landmark abortion rights case Roe v. Wade, the recent mass shootings and climate change and their effects on new generations. He reflected on the events stating, “we’re going to hell in a handbasket, and it’s the most grim and dystopian it’s ever been in my lifetime.”

Francis admitted that he feels embarrassed to talk to his children about the issues, instead apologizing for the world’s “corruption.” He then attempted to look on the positive side, asserting, “sometimes you just have to sit back and find a way to enjoy that damn coffee.” 

The band will release their forthcoming album Doggerel in September and have since shared the single “There’s A Moon On.”

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat