In the late 1980s, as underground legends The Pixies fought the tide of their own internal dysfunction to build a musical aesthetic that remains today as potent as ever, Pixies bass player Kim Deal hooked up with twin sister Kelley to form The Breeders. Unable to make any substantive in-road into Frank Black’s dominance of The Pixies’ songwriting stable, The Breeders became the vehicle for Deal’s unique pop sensibility.

The band’s first two albums, Pod and Last Spash, successfully outflanked The Pixies’ legacy to establish The Breeders as a force in its own right. By the mid-1990s, however, The Breeders were beset by their own problems, centered primarily on the Deal sisters’ battles with alcohol and drugs. In 2002 a new line-up of The Breeders came together to record Title TK before Kim Deal found herself part of a reunited Pixies line-up. Six years later, and with Kim Deal having confronted her own substance demons, The Breeders are back with a new album, Mountain Battles.

The original incarnation of The Breeders – the title was taken from a term used by homosexuals to describe the heterosexual community – was an all female affair, comprising the Deal sisters, Josephine Wiggs on bass and Shannon Doughton on drums. By Title TK only the Deal sisters remained, joined by Jose Medeles (drums) and Mando Lopez on bass. The Deal sisters’ relationship remains at the core of The Breeders.

Anyone who’s seen The Pixies’ documentary liveQUIETloud will appreciate the tight bond between Kim and Kelley. While it might be assumed that that the Newtonian reaction to that bond might be a serious explosion, Jose Medeles says that’s not the case. “We’re so used to the relationship between Kim and Kelley”, Medeles says. “The lines are separate, but the lines are so tight and the relationship is so strong that if they have a falling out then they reconcile really quickly. They have an amazing bond, and can talk about anything.”

Medeles joined The Breeders around the turn of the century. A professional drummer with a wide array of interests – “I try to keep my musical adventures interesting” – Medeles was introduced to the band, who were at that stage in search of a drummer. Medeles was already a fan of the band, and it didn’t take him long to fit in with The Breeders. “I started jamming and then joined the band,” Medeles says. “At the time I was looking to join a band that I really liked. I loved Pod, and I’d actually seen The Breeders on Lollapalooza.”

The first break in The Breeders’ existence coincided with Kelley Deal’s drug problems. In the aftermath of the commercially successful Last Spash – which gave the world Cannonball in all its classic riff glory – Kelley’s lifestyle spiralled out of control, and she was arrested in the mid 1990s. Kim Deal formed The Amps – basically The Breeders without Kelley – bringing moderate commercial and touring success.

By the time The Breeders reformed to record Title TK, Kim Deal’s own battles with alcohol and drug had superseded Kelley’s problems. Following her sister into the confronting world of substance abuse rehabilitation, Kim emerged clean and able to confront her demons – as well as reconciling with her Pixies bandmates. “I think the Pixies thing made Kim realise she could write and play music sober,” Medeles says. “I think Kim would always want to do Breeders stuff, even if she wasn’t playing in The Pixies – but the Pixies reunion gave her the confidence to write music sober.”

With Mountain Battles, The Breeders departed from the band’s previous production plan, which had centered around producer Steve Albini. “We did 90% of Title TK at Steve Albini’s studio,” Medeles says. “For this album we wanted something different because a there’s lot of the songs on the album that aren’t Steve Albini songs.” The band utilised a range of separate studios to solicit the production style appropriate for the various tunes on the album. The result was, not surprisingly, an album that differs substantially from Title TK. “To do songs in four or five different studios is pretty different,” Medeles says.

One of the songs featured on Mountain Battles, Regalame Esta Noche, showcases Kelley’s Spanish language skills. And while it’s reasonable to assume Medeles might have had some part in coaching Kelley in her Spanish language attempt, Medeles says that’s not the case. “With a name like mine you might think I can speak Spanish, but the reality is that I speak about eight Spanish words,” Medeles laughs. “She could speak about dishwashers and it would sound fantastic to me! But luckily Mondo speaks Spanish and he was able to give her some tips. I think she sounds great singing in Spanish.”

In sharp contrast to The Pixies’ legendary dysfunction – it’s been claimed the secret to The Pixies’ reunion was the band members’ lack of communication – Medeles says The Breeders have a strong internal bond. “We’ve been through so much,” he says. “We’re definitely more than a bond – we’re more a family.”

In fact, Medeles goes so far to suggest he’s become an honorary member of Dayton, Ohio’s most famous musical family. “One of the engineers said to me, ‘You’re like José Deal’,” Medeles laughs. “It feels really good to have that trusting relationship.”

Mountain Battles is out now through Remote Control. The Breeders play the following shows this winter:

Wednesday July 30 – Capitol, Perth

Thursday July 31 – Fowlers Live, Adelaide

Saturday August 2 – Metro Theatre, Sydney

Monday August 4 – The Zoo, Brisbane

Tuesday August 5 – Billboard, Melbourne