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Snow Bound (The Chills album)

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Snow Bound
Studio album by
The Chills
Released14 September 2018[1]
RecordedFebruary–April 2018
LabelFire Records
ProducerGreg Haver
The Chills chronology
Silver Bullets
(2015) 		Snow Bound
(2018) 		Scatterbrain
(2021)

Snow Bound is an album by New Zealand group The Chills, released in 2018. Their second album after a 19-year gap between studio recordings, it reached number 9 in the New Zealand charts.[2] It was recorded in a number of studios in New Zealand over a space of three weeks.[3]

Songwriter Martin Phillipps said, "I was initially was surprised when people said, 'What an upbeat kind of record'. And I thought, 'Wait until you read the lyrics'. There is that contrast between that upbeat sound and dealing with something more personal, going back to that "Leather Jacket" approach."[4] Elsewhere, he described the album as, "hopefully a kind of Carole King Tapestry for aging punks".[5]

Critical reception

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The Guardian said, "The opening track, is nearly as good as anything Phillipps has written. Snow Bound drips with his trademarks: the melancholy lyrics paired with joyous melodies; the surging, oddly maritime cast of the music; the interaction of guitar and organ; the open-heartedness of it all."[6] Pitchfork claimed it was their, "most winning album since 1990’s Submarine Bells—brash, tensile, and enormously confident".[7]

AllMusic called it, "a big pop statement, overflowing with singalong choruses, ringing guitars, rich arrangements, and Phillipps' typically trenchant observations. A perfect example of how to make a record that sounds as big as a stadium while still being driven by real emotion."[8] Classic Rock, however, said it was, "Tasteful and eloquent, minus the killer tunes".[9]

Track listing

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All songs written by Martin Phillipps.

  1. "Bad Sugar"
  2. "Time to Atone"
  3. "The Greatest Guide"
  4. "Scarred"
  5. "Complex"
  6. "Deep Belief"
  7. "Lord of All I Survey"
  8. "Snow Bound"
  9. "Eazy Peazy"
  10. "In Harmony"

References

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  1. ^ "The Chills - "Complex" & "Lord Of All I Survey"". Stereogum. 3 July 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  2. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 24 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  3. ^ Karl Puschmann. "The Chills get it together for Snow Bound album". New Zealand Herald.
  4. ^ Graham Reid (10 September 2018). "MARTIN PHILLIPPS INTERVIEWED (2018): A lone guide cutting through snow". Elsewhere.
  5. ^ Bill Pearis (3 July 2018). "The Chills announce new LP 'Snow Bound'". Brooklyn Vegan.
  6. ^ Michael Hann. "The Chills: Snow Bound review – a rare, joyous equal to past triumphs". The Guardian.
  7. ^ Alfred Soto. "The Chills Snow Bound". Pitchfork.
  8. ^ Tim Sendra. "Snow Bound". AllMusic.
  9. ^ "Snow Bound". Classic Rock. November 2018. p. 85.
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