Beneath the Eyrie

Pixies - Beneath the Eyrie
Critic Score
Based on 31 reviews
2019 Ratings: #529 / 805
User Score
Based on 250 ratings
2019 Rank: #762
Liked by 14 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

80
Kerrang!

This is another modern classic from a classic band.

80
Clash

Doing little to tarnish said consistency, it’s a record that calls to mind some of the band’s best moments, while still managing to feel fresh and exciting.

80
Loud and Quiet

There’s heartbreak and loss on Beneath the Eyrie, but also buoyancy and love. The one is the trade-off for the other.

80
NME

Arguably their greatest work in 28 years, this otherworldly album filters present-day tribulations through the band's witchy, psychedelic prism.

75
Under the Radar

Beneath the Eyrie is Pixies being great again on their own terms.

74
Paste

The band has reached a point where it can reference the past without feeling beholden to it, while forging an increasingly solid present, and that’s nothing to be angry about.

70
PopMatters

Beneath the Eyrie is the Pixies' strongest release since the band's reemergence. The album lyrically augments the real and magical while reestablishing the Pixies' musical fortitude.

70
Gigwise

Beneath The Eyrie sees Pixies dipping back into the mysticism that came with their first few releases.

70
Exclaim!

All the ingredients for a Pixies album are present on Beneath the Eyrie: somewhat bizarre lyrics, jarring instrumentals and delicate harmonies from the female bassist — yet there's something missing.

70
DIY

While it occasionally feels lacking in the kind of explosive energy that made the band such an impact in the late ‘80s, it still captures the spirit of Pixies in a way that’s extremely satisfying.

70
AllMusic

Spookier and more fun, as well as looser and more cohesive than the band's two previous albums, Beneath the Eyrie isn't just the best Pixies 2.0 album to date -- it suggests they just might be stepping out of the shadow of their legendary past.

67
Pitchfork

After the disappointing Indie Cindy and the serviceable Head Carrier, the band shows signs of recapturing some of the spark of their classic albums.

60
Slant Magazine

Even though it doesn’t do much to burnish the band’s legacy, the third album by Pixies 2.0, Beneath the Eyrie, is the first one to even come close to approximating the thrills of their best work.

40
The Observer

It’s not a terrible album – it’s better than many bands that Pixies inspired – but it isn’t terribly good either.

Plats
60

Y'know what my home state of Massachusetts is missing these days besides liveliness and a budget? It's missing good popular artists. There's... Joyner Lucas and... Meghan Trainor... *sigh*, but there's absolutely nothing coming out of this state besides a few obscure artists. There was a time during the late 20th century where a bunch of bands got a huge commercial following. This included Boston, Aerosmith and Pixies. They have not aged well in modern times, but the one that held up the most ... read more

TheCarioca
65

In the Arms of Mrs. Mark of Cain - 3/5
On Graveyard Hill - 3/5
Catfish Kate - 4/5
This Is My Fate - 2/5
Ready for Love - 4/5
Silver Bullet - 3/5
Long Rider - 3/5
Los Surfers Muertos - 3/5
St. Nazaire - 3/5
Bird of Prey - 4/5
Daniel Boone - 3/5
Death Horizon - 4/5

MasterCrackfox
71

So Pixies released a... Southern influenced alternative rock album? There is something undeniably western and even outlaw-ish about this record by the long standing alternative rock icons that brings some refreshing and new life to their sound.

On par with their early work, this is not. However, this is undeniably the most consistent, different, and engaging the group have sounded in nearly three decades. This doesn't honestly even feel like a Pixies album, as Black's vocals have taken on a ... read more

Vespertwink
60

I'm sorry but this is a stronger sleep drug than NyQuil + it's what hippie parents think that emo music is like

Like yeah, this is sloggish as hell, there are only a few noticeable songs here that grab my attention and everything else just either feels like complete and utter filler, or it sounds good, but only GOOD at best and like a extremely washed out version of the music that they made around their golden years you know. Sure, they thought of these songs as complete enough to be ... read more

daFigz
NR

EDIT: As of 30 November 2023 I find myself on the fence and to be honest, my bum is getting sore. As of now, I am building the courage to spin the disc and return with my impression. You can't wait, can you! Peace. - @daFigz™

NotDonkey
80

This album does not get enough love. This is the best of the ‘modern-day’ version of the Pixies because it breaks the mold of what we expect to hear from them. The major issue I had with the other Pixies albums from 2014 to 2022, is that they sound like they’re trying to revive their old sound, and they just can’t seem to pull it off. Here they just switch directions into a stripped back gothic rock-influenced sound with haunting melodies and eerie instrumental. With ... read more

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Added on: June 3, 2019