Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has named Pixies' 1988 debut album Surfer Rosa as a record he considers "perfect", telling BBC 6 Music that he has probably listened to it around 10,000 times and still loves it. The comments highlight the enduring influence of the Pixies on the alternative rock that Grohl himself helped to popularise, both with Nirvana and the Foo Fighters.

Grohl praised the album's production by the late engineer Steve Albini, calling it perhaps the first popular record to showcase his sonic technique. He also singled out the songwriting of Black Francis, whose lyrics ranged from the intellectual to the deliberately absurd, and the vocal chemistry between Francis and Kim Deal. His remarks come as the Foo Fighters continue promoting Your Favorite Toy, their 12th studio album, released in April and their first with drummer Ilan Rubin.