Submarine Bells is an album by New Zealand group the Chills, released in 1990. This was the band's first album on a major label, as Martin Phillipps signed to Warner Bros. Records subsidiary Slash Records, to release the album in the U.S. The album reached #1 on the New Zealand album charts and had significant support from American college radio. The album was awarded gold status in New Zealand and represents the peak of the Chills' popularity at home. It is considered to be one of the defining albums of the Dunedin sound. The supporting tour for Submarine Bells culminated in a triumphant home-coming concert in Dunedin Town Hall.
Background
The Chills released their debut studio album Brave Words in 1987; they had relocated to London earlier in the year. The band promoted it with a performance at Glastonbury Festival in June 1987 to over 60,000 people. After playing at the New Music Seminar in New York City, the band went on tours of the UK and mainland Europe. "House with a Hundred Rooms" was released as a single, reaching number 21 on UK Independent Singles Chart. A tour of New Zealand and Australia followed at the end of the year. Drummer Caroline Easther left after New Years, and was replaced by James Stephenson, formerly of Bygone Era. They embarked on a tour of the United States; coinciding with this, they signed to independent label Slash Records and major label Warner Bros. Records. Upon returning to London in early 1989, the band started working with Gary Smith for their next album Submarine Bells.[1]
Trouser Press singled out the "splendorous title track", the "should-have-been-a-smash 'Heavenly Pop Hit'", and many other individual tracks, but chiefly praised the album for its overall cohesion and consistency – signs of the Chills' evolution from "a first-rate singles band" to a fully formed artistic venture with a "mature, restrained and affectingly personal approach".[12] In his book Music: What Happened?, musician and critic Scott Miller calls it "a dynamite whole album", and "the international star and culmination of" the Dunedin sound.[13] He also ranks "Heavenly Pop Hit" among the year's best songs.[13]
Chart performance and awards
Submarine Bells was a huge success in the Chills' home country. It entered the New Zealand album chart at No. 7 in June 1990 and reached No. 1 the following week, ultimately spending 14 weeks on the chart in total.[14] The single "Heavenly Pop Hit" was released in July and peaked at No. 2.[15] Elsewhere, however, it made minimal commercial impact. The album did not chart in Australia, the UK, or the U.S., although "Heavenly Pop Hit" achieved some success on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart.[16] "Part Past Part Fiction" was released by Slash as a single in Australia, but did not enter the chart.[17]
