Taylor Swift recently borrowed the chords from “Where Is My Mind?” to diss Charli XCX. This did the Pixies a favor — the song’s back in the cultural zeitgeist, with more than 1.1 billion streams on Spotify alone.
That chord progression is eternal, and the influential Pixies continue to be a source of creative inspiration. Listen to Rochester band Painless Painless for proof.
The group, made up of members of The Living Room and The Fox Sisters, makes spindly, laid-back rock music filtered through decades of alternative and indie pioneering. The influence of the Pixies hangs over its songs in the blaring guitar lines, near-caterwauling vocals and slight tinge of surf rock.
Two recent EPs bear this out. “Happy Dreamy,” with its collage artwork, is indeed both of those modifiers. Swinging from the mellow alternative of “In Our Heads” to the supermarket milk odyssey “Vitamin D,” the collection is bound by a modicum of detachment, like the group doesn’t take itself too seriously even as it presents tight song constructs.
It turns out to be a winning formula, especially when the band weaves in a bit of retro soul-punk on “Baby Lawrence” and daydreaming on the title track. Even a lark like the pepped-up instrumental “Surf Tits” arrives with high intensity.
On the other release, which is self-titled, Painless Painless showcases less of a dynamic range with more traditional song arrangements and fewer surprises. But on closer “Shiny,” the group utilizes a tried-and-true indie rock formula, alternating between frantic vocals and buzzing moments of lead-guitar bliss.
Perhaps none are more blissful than the long, loping melodies on “Hot Potato,” a Built to Spill-style rocker that shouts out Lord Byron and Lady Caroline Lamb. It reinforces the best of Painless Painless: music that seems stream of consciousness but could only be heavily considered.
