There is something about excellent songwriting. If done properly, the impact on the listener is permanent.
The great BOB MOULD once said to the effect that there an unlimited number of songs in the universe but the trick for a musician is to find them.
Well, over these many years I have often searched “Down Under” to find such tunes.
One of the purveyors is such was MARTIN PHILLIPPS of the Dunedin New Zealand outfit THE CHILLS 🇳🇿.
Over a career that stretched to almost 40 years (with a few pauses) THR CHILLS legacy is etched in songwriting greatness.
PHILLIPPS life was marked with terrible addiction issues that led to a hepatitis C crisis that lasted for years.
He died suddenly at home in 2024. Such was his impact on the renowned NZ music scene that a former Prime Minister led the funeral.
In 2025, CHILLS label, Fire Records released a beauty of a double LP.
“Spring Board” was pressed for indie completists like me. It contains 20 previously unrecorded songs on 2 gold discs.
I didn’t have to listen long to find today’s track- “Dolphins”. It was written in 1981 and stands up to anything this band released. How it never made it onto one of their 7 or so LPs is remarkable.
Enjoy it as we pay tribute to MARTIN PHILLIPPS and THE CHILLS.
SPOTIFY-
https://open.spotify.com/track/2ujzwLZqi2ho320AbHhYM9?si=KURJV5QbRzeOyadbPtF7zQ&utm_source=copy-link
(SONG 1776)
Play Loud Or Perish
10/28/2026
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