Pixies bassist Paz Lenchantin splits from band after 10 years

Lenchantin joined Pixies in 2014. She replaced bassist Kim Shattuck, the touring bassist who was hired after Kim Deal left the band in 2013. and later played on three of their later albums: 2016’s Head Carrier, 2019’s Beneath the Eyrie, and 2022’s Doggerel.

Paz Lenchantin was a fan of Pixies as a teenager, even sharing songwriting credits. One of the songs she co-wrote is 'All I Think About Now,' featured on Head Carrier.

She toured North America, Europe, and South America with the band, including appearances at Lollapalooza and the Estereopicnic Festival. She also has a side project with Micah Dickson called Pretty Pretty Fukt, where she plays various instruments.

In a statement posted to X, Pixies said, “Lenchantin has exited the band to concentrate on her own projects. We are grateful for Paz’s contributions, and wish her all the best going forward.”

“We are delighted to welcome Emma Richardson on bass. 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.”

Pixies signed off their message by stating: “See you on the road! La la love you, Pixies”. As of writing, Lenchantin is yet to publicly address her exit.

An announcement from Pixies.

La la love you... pic.twitter.com/TUqbRcoNaA

— PIXIES (@PIXIES) March 4, 2024

Pixies have recruited Emma Richardson to replace Lenchantin. Richardson formerly played for the UK rock group Band of Skulls. Richardson will make her debut when Pixies lead off their 2024 tour in Dublin, Ireland on March 8th at the Olympia.

In an interview with Bass Player a while back, Lenchantin described learning Pixies’ back catalog and the challenges associated with stepping in to fill Deal’s position. She was only able to overcome this, however, after she had been visited by Deal in a dream.

“On the first few shows, I found myself trying to sound exactly like Kim, but something just wasn’t working,” she said. “It was really bugging me, and then one night I had a dream, and I know this is going to sound strange, but she came into my dream and whispered into my ear, 'Paz, if you want to be like me, don’t be like me.'

“Meaning if I just be myself, I’ll actually be more like her, because that’s what her spirit is. When I first came in, I was confused, because everyone was expecting me to sound like her, but it didn’t feel right. After that dream, I realized it’s most important for me to be myself, and the energy that comes from that is more important than me trying to imitate someone.”

Pixies 2024 Dublin Tour Dates:

03/08 – Dublin, IE @ Olympia
03/09 – Dublin, IE @ Olympia
03/10 – Dublin, IE @ Olympia

Listen to 'Doggerel' from the album Doggerel by Pixies below: