Kim Deal, frustrated as the sidelined bassist in the control-freak-led Pixies under Black Francis, formed The Breeders as a rebellious side project with Tanya Donnelly. After the Pixies dramatically split, Deal rebuilt the band with her musically inexperienced twin sister Kelley on guitar and recorded the 1993 masterpiece Last Splash. The accidental hit “Cannonball”—born from a happy bass mistake—catapulted the band to stardom with massive airplay, Lollapalooza slots, and platinum sales, briefly making The Breeders bigger than the Pixies. Yet success unraveled fast as Kelley’s heroin addiction derailed tours and momentum, turning one perfect summer into a chaotic collapse that highlighted the volatile mix of family, fame, and rock ’n’ roll excess.
