This is bittersweet news. Back in 2023, when a remastered version of Brave Words was being prepped for release, I interviewed resisue producer Greg Haver. I think somewhere in our conversation he mentioned something about hearing new songs from The Chills. After the awful early death of Martin Phillipps, I wondered -- and hoped -- that that material would see the light of day. So now a new Chills record will be with us in 2025.
Rather than simply an attic-cleaning post-death exercise, this Fire Records set continues a project that Martin was already at work on before his depature from this world. Given his fertile mind, and his unstoppable way with a tune and lyric, the results are likely going to be special. And given the details of who is on this release, fans should be especially intrigued:
"The Chills are: Martin Phillipps, Oli Wilson, Erica Scally, Callum Hampton and Todd Knudson. The album features Fur Patrol's Julia Deans, Elroy Finn and Split Enz, Crowded House alumni Neil Finn, Tiny Ruins' Hollie Fullbrook, Manics producer Greg Haver, Troy Kingi, Shona Laing, Tami Neilson, Dianne Swann (Everything That Flies) and Purple Pilgrims' Clementine Valentine."
"If This World Was Made For Me" features the organ-swirl of early offerings from The Chills -- think "The Great Escape" -- but the hushed vocals and contemplative musings echo pieces of Soft Bomb and subsequent releases. It's a track that only whets the appetite for more new Chills material.
My 2015 interview with Martin Phillipps is here, and my 2018 interview with him is here.
Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs by The Chills is out on February 28, 2025 on Fire Records. Details below.
[Photo: Jon Thom Moodie Tuesday]