Aug. 30, 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of an album that I would today consider a classic: The Breeders’ iconic sophomore album “Last Splash.” This album is their best selling work to date and is most well known for the breakout single “Cannonball,” a strange but infectious alt-rock staple. But while “Cannonball” is definitely one of the better tracks on the album, it would be a major misstep to ignore the rest of the material on this album.
Obviously, the main reason that a “one-hit wonder” label doesn’t stick is because of the massive accomplishments of the band’s lead singer, Kim Deal, in her previous band, the Pixies. While arguably just as out there as the Breeders’ material, the Pixies would score big, long-lasting hits such as “Where Is My Mind?” and “Here Comes Your Man” that still make the rounds on Tik Tok today. The issue with the Pixies, however, was that Kim Deal was not the lead singer (even if some of the most popular songs were sung by her). That honor would be given to Black Francis, who would grow envious that the big hits by the Pixies were the few songs that Kim sang on. Add on that Kim was irritated that her role as mostly the bassist in the Pixies felt smaller than her potential, and the band’s relationship soured pretty quickly. Kim would team up with her twin sister, Kelley, and a few other musicians from various different bands to form the Breeders and would focus mainly on this project after the release of the Pixies’ “Doolittle.”
It would be difficult to talk about the entirety of the recent 30th Anniversary release of “Last Splash,” but there are some clear highlights to the album that I would like to discuss:
- “Cannonball” (obviously) is a classic song that can still be heard on alternative radio stations today. The guitar motif is highly infectious and its dynamic shift contrasts the angry, punky pre-chorus and hook with the loose, more quiet verses.
- “New Year” is a great intro song that sets up the weird and perfect-mess tone of the rest of the record, especially in terms of the prominent double-vocal lines and the strangely-distorted guitar riffs.
- “No Aloha” is a tongue-in-cheek Hawaiian song that is about a hookup with a rock promoter and the death of a typical American life of motherhood for her, instead choosing a more carefree youthful path.
- “Roi” is interesting. There are more instrumental tracks on this album than I thought there would be, and I didn’t anticipate liking them with the absence of Kim Deal’s iconic voice. Despite that, I enjoyed the Sonic Youth-esque “loud to quiet to loud again” formula even if Kim Deal was not as present on this track. Special shoutout to the reprise of “Roi” at the end of this record as well, which really solidifies the riff of this track in my brain.
- “Divine Hammer” is the second single off of this record, and while it’s less experimental than most of these tracks, the hook just WON’T LEAVE MY HEAD, so I have to give it credit for it’s catchiness.
In terms of the bonus tracks for the new release, my favorite would probably be “Divine Mascis,” where the Breeders bring on J. Mascis from Dinosaur Jr. for his own goofy take on “Divine Hammer.” As usual, the guitar work is on point, and it’s pretty funny to hear his voice on this record.
So does this record hold up after 30 years? I would probably argue yes. Even if the album is not super cohesive and is not as popular today as the Pixies’ breakout hits / records, the songs here show that the Breeders cannot be dismissed as just a side project. Additionally, while things improved in the ‘90s with Riot Grrrl and an increase in female rock singers (Hole, Alanis Morrisette, Fiona Apple), there was still not anything close to equal female representation in rock music. The success of this record shows that women were not going to simply be pushed to the side in male-dominated bands; they were there to stay and make great rock music on their own terms.
