1990's
Submarine Bells was probably the closest New Zealand indie band
The Chills came to a mainstream-adjacent record. There were a few songs that approached radio-friendliness, like the perky "Tied Up In Chain" and the aptly-titled "Heavenly Pop Hit," but the one that grabbed me at the time was "Familiarity Breeds Contempt." It's the rare song from the often-melancholy act which flies off the rails at a frenzied pace (a sequel of sorts to "
Look For The Good In Others..." from the prior LP, another personal favorite). There's some cool riffing and boundless energy, but without losing the slightly-psychedelic moodiness which set the band apart from some of their
Flying Nun peers (and, indeed, it kinda reminds me of a post-punk version of a
Moody Blues rocker).
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