Kim Deal: Nobody Loves You More

The resurgence of 80s and 90s indie-rock has carried Kim Deal back into the limelight for some long overdue praise. As the Pixies’ original bassist, co-vocalist, and songwriter from 1986–1993 and 2004–2013, she helped lay the foundation of alt-rock. Four decades in the making, and after highly publicized struggles with substance abuse, Nobody Loves You More is her solo debut. It’s a persuasive album that builds on her current work with the Breeders and the Amps to showcase one of the most underrated and gifted women in modern rock. From the infectious, Goldfrapp-ish electronic thump of “Crystal Breath” to the French horn-driven, R&B-inflected, Steve Albini-engineered “Coast,” this Dayton, Ohio-based singer, songwriter, and bassist cultivates a lush garden of musical styles while surveying decades of rock music and cultural influences. The title track is a disarmingly sentimental ballad, replete with a classic 50s pop vibe, a vulnerable vocal, swishing strings, and blaring horns. Rich and arresting, it underpins the album’s laissez-faire attitude that fends off life’s blows with a shrug. Yet, Deal displays plenty of ambition…and talent. The closer, “A Good Time Pushed,” finds her awash in a psych-tinged celebration of independence: “Now is the time for me to get what I want/And when I figure it out, consider it bought,” she declares.