The Breeders

The Breeders are an American alternative rock band formed in 1989 in Boston by Kim Deal, then bassist of the Pixies, and Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses. Conceived as a side project, the band quickly developed its own identity built on jagged guitar hooks, loose, off-kilter arrangements and Deal's laconic, melodic vocals. Their 1990 debut «Pod» earned critical acclaim, including praise from Kurt Cobain, before Donelly departed in 1992 to form Belly.

The band's classic lineup crystallized around Kim Deal, her twin sister Kelley Deal on guitar, bassist Josephine Wiggs and drummer Jim Macpherson. This lineup recorded «Last Splash» in 1993, an album that broke the band into the mainstream on the strength of the single «Cannonball», with its instantly recognizable bass intro and warped, playful production. Tracks like «Divine Hammer» and «Saints» further showcased the group's knack for melody wrapped in raw, DIY texture.

After a long hiatus caused by Kelley Deal's legal troubles and Kim's work with her other band the Amps, the Breeders returned in the 2000s and eventually reunited the «Last Splash» lineup for later releases, including «All Nerve» in 2018. Kim Deal has remained the band's constant creative anchor throughout every configuration, and the group is remembered as one of the defining acts of 1990s alternative rock, admired for treating imperfection and looseness as a virtue rather than a flaw.