This Friday, June 19th, is the June edition of Philthy Radio, where I’ll be bringing you summertime jams from some PHILTHY phavorites. However, this Thursday, Y-Not Radio (home of Philthy Radio) will be giving away a pair of free tickets to The Breeders’ June 26th return to The Fillmore, following their 2023 stop on the Last Splash 30th Anniversary Tour. You have until this Thursday morning to vote for this week’s Top 11 @ 11 for the chance to win… and we would highly recommend finding a way to get tickets, which can also be purchased below. Here are Three Reasons why…
1. THERE’S BEEN A PROMISE OF NEW MUSIC
On May 22nd The Breeders Tweeted, “Excited to try out some new songs for you! Tour starts in less than a month, see you soon!” And while The Breeders have largely spent the 21st Century as a “legacy act,” most celebrated for their 10/10, no-skips ‘90s albums Pod (1990) and Last Splash (1993), their subsequent work has also been quite good. 2002’s Title TK is the greatest “comeback album” of all-time. The sounds of 2008’s Mountain Battles were enough to convince Josephine Wiggs to rejoin the Deal twins… in turn, producing 2018’s All Nerve, which boasts both Wiggs and drummer Jim Macpherson reentering the fold to record an album with the band for the first time in two-and-half decades, reuniting maybe the best quartet to emerge from the 1990s.
2. THEY ALWAYS BRING IT IN THE CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE AND SISTERLY AFFECTION
Whether they’re celebrating a classic or touring their latest sounds for the first time, The Breeders always know how to bring a top-notch rock show with more than enough weirdness to never make you feel like your Boomer parents reliving their glory days (even when they’re playing The Beatles). The last time they were in town they were celebrating the 30th anniversary of Last Splash, and not only did they produce the best “legendary album” show since that became a thing, but also proved to be more charmingly alternative than any of their ‘90s alt-rock peers to reach their status. And their 2009 show in the basement of The First Unitarian Church, a warmup for All Tomorrow’s Parties the next day, remains one of the most legendary performances the city has seen in the past 20 years.
3. THEY WROTE THE DEFINITIVE ALT-ROCK SUMMERTIME JAM
This coming Sunday, June 21st, is 2026’s summer solstice. And while the definitive summertime jam of the ‘90s R&B or Laurel Canyon varieties can be endlessly (and violently) debated, angsty Gen X teens and Millennial hipsters (who wish they could’ve been at Lollapalooza 1994) can unanimously agree that the #1 greatest summertime jam of all-time is track 13 of Last Splash, “Saints,” which reminds us annually, as we long for “Hot metal in the sun,” “Pony in the air,” and “Sooey and saints at the fair,” that “Summer is ready when you are.”
*Get your tickets here.
