Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs

Pre-Order Item. Release Date Subject to Change.
Label: Fire Records
Release Date: 28th February

The last project of Mark Phillips as The Chills saw him looking back to his adolescent writing and revisiting the songs created in his youth, recreating them as a 60 year old and now after his passing become a poignant bookend to one of the great indie pop songwriters.

‘Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs’ is a Martin Phillipps passion project. A dedicated reimagining of his earlier unreleased songs that became his artistic farewell, a lasting legacy, and a reminder of his huge, underappreciated talent. The album has been finalised for release with the love and support of his band, family and friends.  
 
As the subject of an undulating life and times movie – The Chills: The Triumph And Tragedy Of Martin Phillipps – Chills’ singer, songwriter and main motivator, Martin Phillipps spent the last decade releasing studio and live albums while careering into his sixtieth year with typical gusto.
 
Amid such momentum, Martin was stilling digging through old tapes, searching for the foundations that resulted in global rapture in 1987, an overnight success that took a mere seven years to ignite. These early songs and musings were revisited, revised and finally put to record. As such, ‘Spring Board’ is the final chapter of The Chills, immeasurably significant output.  
 
‘Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs’ is alarming, personal, brittle and at times hopelessly upbeat. This is a man casting his mind back on an esoteric career that led to nothing short of cult status; someone rediscovering his roots, his innermost thoughts, hopes and fears. 
 
The Chills are Martin Phillipps, Oli Wilson, Erica Scally and Callum Hampton. ‘Spring Board’ features contributions from 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.     
 

Tracklisting:
Side A
A1      Dolphins
A2      Learn to Try Again
A3      If This World Was Made for Me
A4      Juicy Creaming Soda
A5      I'll Protect You
Side B
B1      And When You're There
B2      Declaration
B3      Stay Longer
B4      Slime
B5      Steel Skies
Side C
C1      Jellyhead
C2      Such Self Pity
C3      Meet My Eyes
C4      Bad Eggs
C5      Lion Tamer
Side D
D1      The Other
D2      Since You Left Me
D3      Watching Old Home Movies
D4      I Saw Your Silhouette
D5      I Don't Want to Live Forever