''EP2'' is the second EP in a series of EPs released by American

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band Pixies, released on January 3, 2014.

Composition and recording

Black Francis Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965), better known by the stage name Black Francis, is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies. Following the band's break ...

described his inspiration for the song "Blue Eyed Hexe": "The song took on different forms, different music and different sets of lyrics. It went through a lot of changes before it settled where it is now. It's a tale from the northwest of the country and it's a witch-woman kind of a song. That's what a hexe is. And she's a blue-eyed hexe!" Black Francis wrote "Greens and Blues" with the intention of creating "a better ' Gigantic'" – something that would "musically, emotionally and psychologically – sit in the same place that Gigantic has sat" and serve as a "show-closer."

Critical reception

Like ''EP1'', ''EP2'' received mostly negative reviews and was sometimes compared unfavorably to the band's earlier work. In a 2.0/10 review for

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

, Jayson Greene described the two EPs as "an increasingly mournful asterisk affixed to a beloved legacy". Greene gave modest praise to "Magdalena" which he wrote "sounds, passingly, like a lesser track from '' Bossanova'' or '' Teenager of the Year''", but panned "Blue Eyed Hexe", writing " lack Francisscreams like a

Brian Johnson Brian Johnson (born 5 October 1947) is an English singer and songwriter. In 1980 at the age of 32, after the death of Bon Scott, he became the third lead singer of the Australian rock band AC/DC. Johnson was one of the founding members of th ...

imitator over a foursquare riff with no wit or play in it, the clonking woodblock hitting like a kid brother socking you repeatedly in the arm." John Dolan from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' wrote that ''EP2'' "feels like a faint echo of the band's later albums". Mark Beaumont at ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' gave the EP a positive review, writing that the four tracks "eschew any attempt to recreate the breathless brutalities of '' Doolittle'' or '' Surfer Rosa'' and instead move Pixies boldly on". Beaumont praised "Blue Eyed Hexe" for recreating "the menace of Pixies’ early work" and described "Greens and Blues" as "the most grab-at-the-sky Big Pop moment the new EPs have produced so far". Marc Burrows' review for Drowned in Sound was also generally positive, noting "what constitutes feeling their way back for the Pixies would be mightily impressive for a lesser band".

Track listing

#"Blue Eyed Hexe" – 3:12 #"Magdalena 318" – 3:25 #"Greens and Blues" – 3:47 #"Snakes" – 3:46

Personnel

;Pixies *

– vocals, guitar *

David Lovering David Sullivan Lovering (born December 6, 1961) is an American musician and magician. He is best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band Pixies, which he joined in 1986. After the band's breakup in 1993, Lovering drummed with severa ...

– drums *

Joey Santiago Joseph Alberto Santiago (born June 10, 1965) is a Filipino-American guitarist and composer. Active since 1986, Santiago is best known as the co-founder and lead guitarist of the alternative rock band Pixies. After the band's breakup in 1993, ...

– guitar ;Additional personnel *Ding (Simon "Ding" Archer) – bass guitar *

Gil Norton Gil Norton (born in Liverpool) is an English record producer known for his work with alternative rock bands such as Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen, Foo Fighters, Tribe, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Feeder, the Distillers, Maxïm ...

– production *

Vaughan Oliver Vaughan Oliver (12 September 1957 – 29 December 2019) was a British graphic designer based in Epsom, Surrey. Oliver was best known for his work with graphic design studios 23 Envelope and v23. Both studios maintained a close relationship wit ...

–

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

work

Composition and recording

Critical reception

Track listing

Personnel

References

External links