The Pixies’ debut album Surfer Rosa is just a couple of years away from turning 40, but it’s still considered iconic for many fans and fellow artists alike. For example, Dave Grohl recently declared the 1988 debut the “perfect record” while speaking with BBC 6 Radio Music in June 2026.
“I love that record so much for a lot of reasons,” the Foo Fighters frontman said. “One, that it was produced by the almighty Steve Albini, and it was maybe the first album to become popular and showcase his incredible engineering sonic technique.”
Grohl then highlighted Black Francis’ songwriting. “His lyrics were just—they kind of teetered back and forth from abstract intellectual to things that just sounded so absurd and almost like dumb in a way,” said Grohl. “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 by saying he’s “probably listened to [Surfer Rosa] 10,000 times and I still love it. I could still listen to it every day.”
The Pixies Respond to Dave Grohl’s Fanboy Level Love for ‘Surfer Rosa’
The Pixies, meanwhile, played the main stage of Madrid’s Mad Cool Festival, which took place from July 8 to 11. This is just one stop before their 2026 anniversary tour kicks off in September. Guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer David Lovering were clued into Dave Grohl’s love for Surfer Rosa while speaking with NME backstage at the festival. In typical good-natured fashion, they had some cheeky responses.
Santiago immediately replied, “I have to agree” with a facetiously serious expression when asked if Grohl’s assessment of the album was correct. Lovering broke with a laugh, but also agreed, adding, “It’s my favorite one.”
After adding, “Yeah, like one hundred percent,” Santiago wanted to know what Grohl’s exact words were. “He said ‘perfect’?” he asked. When it was confirmed, he continued jokingly, “Good, good, good, as long as he didn’t say ‘great’, then he’s right.”
The Pixies and Foo Fighters haven’t had the chance to mingle much in their more or less adjacent careers. But, in the spirit of balance, Santiago and Lovering did name the perfect Foo Fighters record.
The pair gave it some thought. Then, Santiago said he “had to give it up for” The Colour and the Shape from 1997. Specifically, they praised the work of producer Gil Norton, also a frequent Pixies collaborator. Norton worked on six of their albums, starting with Doolittle in 1989. Additionally, he produced the Foo Fighters’ Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace from 2007.
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