Submarine Bells and Soft Bomb, the iconic early albums from The Chills’ catalogue have been remastered and are out today via Flying Nun Records.
Back in the Flying Nun vinyl catalogue for the first time in almost three decades, you can now acquire Submarine Bells available on translucent green vinyl, and Soft Bomb, available in both orange or blue vinyl — all pressed in New Zealand, thanks to HolidayRecords.
Submarine Bells is The Chills’ much-praised second album from 1990. Built around Martin Phillipps’ off-kilter vocal; all accent, all attitude, it reels around folk-like couplets with brusque punk swagger fed through psychedelic hues; so timeless it still simmers beautifully. It includes the effervescent, euphoric opener ‘Heavenly Pop Hit’.
Originally released in 1992, The Chills’ third album Soft Bomb features contributions from giants of contemporary American music like Van Dyke Parks and ex dB’s Peter Holsapple as collaborators. A roller coaster 17-song, 51 minute trip, Soft Bomb is a conceptual classic that embraces styles and genres.