It’s time to go back to those gold soundz: Later this year, Pavement will embark on an extensive reunion tour, marking the first live appearances Stephen Malkmus, Bob Nastanovich, Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannberg, Steve West, and Mark Ibold have made together in over a decade. To celebrate the pioneering indie rockers’ much-anticipated return, we’re ranking the ten best songs in their discography.
Despite only being together for ten years, Pavement put out five studio albums chock-full of instant classics. Though the success of their sophomore record, 1994’s Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, gave them a brush with stardom, Pavement opted out of ever signing a major label deal and instead remained cult favorites.
But Pavement’s legacy has endured generations: Just ask beabadoobee, who once released a song conspicuously titled “I Wish I Was Stephen Malkmus,” or the thousands of Zoomers who have turned the band’s b-side “Harness Your Hopes” into a runaway TikTok hit.
Though every Pavement fan has their own definitive batch of favorites, our ranking is by far the most correct. Scroll to the end for a playlist of all 10 tracks, and grab tickets to the reunion tour here.
