Pixies have announced that bassist Paz Lenchantin has left the band.
In a post shared to social media today (March 4), the band announced the musician’s departure and revealed her replacement for their upcoming tour, writing: “Paz Lenchantin, who joined Pixies in 2014, has exited the band to concentrate on her own projects.
“We’re grateful for Paz’s many contributions, and wish her all the very best going forward.”
In her place, the band announced that they were “delighted” to welcome Emma Richardson, formerly of Band of Skulls.
“Emma will make her worldwide touring debut with Pixies on the first night of the Bossanova x Trompe le Monde” European tour, beginning this Friday in Dublin.”
“See you on the road!” the post concluded. “La la love you, Pixies.”
Responding to the announcement in a statement to Rolling Stone, Lenchantin said that her “departure is a bit of a surprise to me as it is to many, but it looks like they have a solid plan figured out which in turn has pushed me to move onwards onto new projects that I am excited about.”
An announcement from Pixies.
La la love you… pic.twitter.com/TUqbRcoNaA
— PIXIES (@PIXIES) March 4, 2024
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Lenchantin was previous a member of Zwan and A Perfect Circle. In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2022, the musician revealed that she was a huge fan of Pixies growing up.
“I had to sneak out to see it and miss the first day of school,” she said of a huge 1989 stadium gig in LA. “My parents had no idea I was there. I listened to a lot of Cure and Pixies back then. I just loved it all.”
She took over from Kim Deal’s replacement Kim Shattuck after the former bassist left in 2013.
Pixies announced back in June last year that 2024 would see them celebrate their ‘Bossanova’ (1990) and ‘Trompe Le Monde’ (1991) albums on a European tour.
The run will begin with three back-to-back live dates in Dublin’s 3Olympia Theatre on March 8, 9 and 10, followed by stops in Manchester – for a three-night residency in the Albert Hall between March 12 and 14 – and another three-night stint in London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town between March 16 and 18.
Speaking with NME in 2022, the band discussed their refreshed approach to writing new album ‘Doggerel’.
“I’ve never been that prepared for a recording session in my life. This time I felt like: ‘Jesus, it’s been two years since we last got together and this is what? Our fucking 100th album or whatever the fuck? I thought I owed it to the band and the producer to come up with some goods,” frontman Black Francis said.
Elsewhere, Pixies and Modest Mouse have announced a joint 2024 US tour with Cat Power which is set to kick off in May.