It was the apology fans waited decades for. Seriously. When "All I Think About Now" dropped on the Pixies’ 2016 album Head Carrier, it didn't just sound like a throwback to their late-80s glory days. It felt like a deep exhale. After years of backstage friction, cold shoulders, and the eventual departure of the iconic Kim Deal, Black Francis (Charles Thompson) finally put his feelings into a song. But he didn't write the lyrics himself. He handed that heavy lifting to Paz Lenchantin, the woman stepping into Kim’s massive shoes.
Imagine that pressure. You’re the "new" bassist, and the frontman asks you to write a tribute—or a thank-you note—to the person you're replacing.
The Pixies have always been a band defined by tension. That "loud-quiet-loud" dynamic they pioneered wasn't just a musical choice; it was often a reflection of the people in the room. When they reunited in 2004, the world went nuts. But the magic was fragile. By the time they were working on Indie Cindy, Kim Deal had walked away, leaving a void that felt impossible to fill. "All I Think About Now" is the band's way of acknowledging that the past is always present, even when the lineup changes.
The Accidental Birth of All I Think About Now
Most songs start with a riff or a melody, but this one started with a request. Paz Lenchantin told Rolling Stone that she actually asked Charles to write a song for Kim. His response? "You write it."
That’s a bold move. It’s also incredibly vulnerable.
The track is built on a guitar line by Joey Santiago that is, quite frankly, a direct nod to "Where Is My Mind?" It’s got that same haunting, spindly lead that defined Surfer Rosa. It’s intentional. It’s nostalgia used as a tool rather than a crutch. The band isn't trying to trick you into thinking it's 1988 again; they are calling back to that era to say, "We remember how it felt back then, too."
Head Carrier was recorded at Rak Studios in London with producer Tom Dalgety. The vibe was different this time. While Indie Cindy felt like a collection of EPs scrambled together, Head Carrier was a proper "band" effort. And yet, "All I Think About Now" stands out because it’s the most human moment on the record. It lacks the surrealist crypticness that Francis usually hides behind.
"I try to think about the good times / And forget about the bad," Paz sings. It’s simple. It’s almost startlingly direct for a band known for singing about UFOs, incest, and Biblical gore.
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Why the Kim Deal Connection Still Stings
To understand why this song matters, you have to understand the Kim Deal factor. To many fans, Kim was the soul of the Pixies. Her bass lines weren't just rhythm; they were hooks. Her backing vocals were the sugar that made the medicine go down. When she left in 2013, it felt like the end of an era.
The rift between Francis and Deal is legendary in the indie rock world. It wasn't always a screaming match; it was often a quiet, simmering disagreement over creative control. When the Pixies were at their peak, Francis was the primary songwriter, but Kim’s presence was the "X factor." Her success with The Breeders only added to the complexity of their relationship.
So, when All I Think About Now finally arrived, it served as a public olive branch.
It’s a rare moment of humility from Black Francis. By allowing Paz to sing the lyrics—and by making the music sound so much like the Doolittle era—he effectively admitted that the band’s identity is inextricably linked to Kim. You can hear it in the way the song builds. It doesn't explode with anger; it swells with a sort of bittersweet recognition.
A Breakdown of the Sound: That "Where Is My Mind" Ghost
Let’s talk about that guitar hook. Joey Santiago is a master of the "wrong" note that sounds exactly right. In All I Think About Now, he leans into a descending lead that mirrors the iconic intro of their most famous song.
Is it a rip-off? No. It’s a leitmotif.
In classical music, a leitmotif is a recurring theme associated with a particular person or idea. By using that specific tone and phrasing, the Pixies are signaling to the listener: This is about the legacy. They are anchoring the new era of the band to the foundation they built in Boston decades ago.
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Paz Lenchantin’s vocals are ethereal here. She doesn't try to imitate Kim’s raspy, cool-girl delivery. Instead, she brings a melodic, almost cinematic quality to the track. It works because it doesn’t feel like a cover band. It feels like a continuation.
- Bassline: Simple, driving, very "Kim-esque" but played with Paz’s precision.
- Drums: David Lovering keeps it steady, providing that classic punchy backbeat.
- Lyrics: Direct, apologetic, and reflective.
The song is short. It’s under three minutes. It doesn't overstay its welcome, much like the tracks on Come On Pilgrim. This brevity is part of the Pixies' DNA—get in, blow the roof off, and leave them wanting more.
Critical Reception and the Fan Divide
Not everyone loved the transparency of the tribute. Some critics felt it was a bit too "on the nose." Pitchfork and NME gave the album mixed reviews, often pointing out that the band was competing with their own shadow.
But for the fans? For the people who grew up with Bossanova on cassette? The song was a gift.
It addressed the elephant in the room. You can’t just replace a founding member and act like nothing happened. By naming the ghost, the Pixies were able to finally move forward. It’s probably the reason their subsequent work, like Beneath the Eyrie and Doggerel, feels more settled. They stopped trying to outrun their history and started living in it.
Honestly, the "meta" nature of the song is what makes it rank so high in their post-reunion catalog. It’s a song about being in the Pixies, written for an ex-member of the Pixies, performed by the current members of the Pixies. It’s a hall of mirrors.
Actionable Insights for the Modern Listener
If you’re diving back into the Pixies or just discovering them, here is how to actually appreciate All I Think About Now in its proper context.
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1. Listen to it back-to-back with "Where Is My Mind?"
Notice the structural similarities. Pay attention to how Joey Santiago uses space. The silence between the notes is just as important as the notes themselves. This is the "Pixies sound" in a nutshell.
2. Watch the live performances.
Paz Lenchantin brings a different energy to the stage. Watching her perform this song live is a lesson in grace. She knows the weight of the words she's singing. There are several high-quality live versions from their 2017 tours that highlight the chemistry of the current lineup.
3. Read the lyrics as a letter.
Forget the melody for a second. Read the words. "If I could go to the beginning / I would probably outspread / A little better than I did." That’s a massive admission from a guy like Charles Thompson. It’s about regret, but it’s also about acceptance.
4. Explore the "Head Carrier" context.
The album isn't just this one song. Tracks like "Classic Masher" and "Um Chagga Lagga" show the band still has that weird, frantic energy. But "All I Think About Now" is the emotional anchor that gives the rest of the album permission to be loud and chaotic.
5. Acknowledge the evolution.
The Pixies of 2026 aren't the Pixies of 1989. And that’s okay. Bands are living organisms. They change, they fight, they age. This song is the bridge between who they were and who they are now.
The legacy of the Pixies isn't just about the loud-quiet-loud dynamic or the surrealist lyrics. It's about the chemistry of four people from Boston who changed the face of alternative rock. Even when one of those people leaves, the "thought" of them remains. That’s what this song is—a permanent record of a complicated friendship and a legendary musical partnership. It’s the sound of a band finally coming to terms with its own mythology.
Next Steps for Pixies Fans:
Check out the It’s a Pixies Podcast which documented the recording of later albums for more behind-the-scenes insights into their creative process. If you want to hear Kim Deal's side of the musical coin, revisit The Breeders' All Nerve (2018), which features the original Last Splash lineup and offers its own take on veteran indie-rock maturity. Compare the two vibes; it's the best way to understand the dualities that made the Pixies so special in the first place.