Latest Release
- Kaleidoscope World · 1986
- Submarine Bells · 1990
- Kaleidoscope World · 1986
- Kaleidoscope World · 1986
- Submarine Bells · 1990
- Kaleidoscope World · 1986
- Submarine Bells · 1990
- Submarine Bells · 1990
- The BBC Sessions · 2014
- Soft Bomb · 1992
Essential Albums
- Submarine Bells went to No. 1 in The Chills' homeland of New Zealand and received a fair amount of promotion and radio play in the U.S., especially on college radio. The appropriately titled “Heavenly Pop Hit” should have been an even bigger calling card for the band, but this entire album’s consistency makes it difficult to single out a particular moment. For a group that generally resisted the album format in favor of singles, The Chills achieved a masterful flow throughout Submarine Bells, with the help of producer Gary Smith. Much of the credit is due to Martin Phillipps’ excellent songwriting and the backing band’s unswerving devotion to serving the songs. Drummer James Stephenson and bassist Justin Harwood bring songs like “The Oncoming Day” and “Familiarity Breeds Contempt” a nasty propulsion, while keyboardist Andrew Todd colors songs such as “Effloresce and Deliquesce” and “Don’t Be—Memory” with a beauty that’s matched by the indelible melodies.
Albums
- 2021
- 2018
Compilations
About The Chills
The Chills feature prominently in New Zealand’s short but impressive history of guitar-fueled indie pop, alongside other seminal Kiwi acts like Split Enz, the Clean, and the Bats. Centered on singer-songwriter Martin Phillipps, the Chills have weathered numerous line-up changes, yet managed to release a string of hugely popular singles and critically acclaimed albums throughout the 1980s and ‘90s. Their debut, 1987’s BRAVE WORLD, is both moodily atmospheric and full of bright, insistent power pop, and it rivals the singles collection KALEIDOSCOPE WORLD as their finest album. The band has broken up and re-formed twice; the 21st-century incarnation resulted in 2007’s STAND BY.
- ORIGIN
- Dunedin, New Zealand
- FORMED
- 1980
- GENRE
- Alternative