It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of the New Zealand indie music scene ever since the heady days of the eighties, with the Dunedin music scene, spearheaded by the legendary Flying Nun Records, the explosive ingredient. And, at the head of the vanguard was, of course, the delectable The Chills.
Fire Records are proving themselves to be a vital force in shining the spotlight on this legendary, influential band with the announcement that they will be reissuing two of The Chills’ seminal albums, ‘Submarine Bells’ and ‘Soft Bomb’, on vinyl, both remastered and to be released on 5 November 2020.
Both of these albums showcase the very unique take The Chills have on indie music, with singer Martin Phillipps’s wry, off-kilter vocals and elegant poetry over a jingle jangley beautiful soundscape and throat tightening, pulse quickening melodies.
It cannot be understated to express how exciting it will be to hear these albums refreshed for the modern age in vinyl.
The albums are available here now both individually and as a bundle and will be available in-store from 6 November 2020.
And it would be remiss of me if I didn’t link to one of the most aptly named songs in the history of songwriting, found on ‘Submarine Bells’: ‘Heavenly Pop Hit’:
Exquisite.
The reissue follows the release earlier this year of the sublime film biography of The Chill’s enigmatic frontman, ‘The Chills: the Triumph and Tragedy of Martin Phillipps’ reviewed by me in May and available here.
