Martin Phillipps, the singer, guitarist, songwriter and founder of New Zealand band the Chills, died unexpectedly at 61, the band announced on July 28, 2024. The announcement did not give a cause of death. Phillipps helped shape Dunedin’s indie-rock scene through the Chills’ distinctive guitar pop and its association with Flying Nun Records.
What was announced about Martin Phillipps’ death?
The Chills and Phillipps’ family and friends announced that he had died unexpectedly and asked for privacy. The statement, reported by The Guardian, said funeral arrangements would be advised in due course. It did not state a cause of death.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Phillipps had struggled with hepatitis C and had recently been admitted to Dunedin Hospital with liver problems, citing local reporting. Those details describe earlier health history; they do not establish the cause of his death.
Who was Martin Phillipps?
Phillipps founded the Chills in 1980 and remained the band’s defining creative presence. He wrote songs and sang and played guitar as the group became closely associated with Dunedin, New Zealand, and the independent label Flying Nun Records. The Guardian reports that the early lineup included Phillipps’ sister Rachel, Jane Dodd, Peter Gutteridge and Alan Haig.
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The Chills’ sound joined jangly guitar pop and wistful melodies with punk and psychedelic influences, a combination described by the Los Angeles Times. The paper also characterized the band as an influence on later American indie groups including R.E.M. and Pavement.
Where to start listening to the Chills
These songs offer a compact introduction to the range of Phillipps’ songwriting:
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- “Pink Frost” — a useful starting point for the band’s atmospheric, guitar-led side.
- “I Love My Leather Jacket” — one of the songs frequently identified with the Chills’ early work.
- “Heavenly Pop Hit” — a bright, melodic entry point into the group’s pop sensibility.
- “Kaleidoscope World” — another key song for exploring the band’s catalog.
For albums, The Guardian identifies Submarine Bells (1990) as a commercial success and names Scatterbrain (2021) among the band’s later releases. Heard together, they provide a way to explore the Chills beyond the best-known individual songs without implying that the band’s long career can be reduced to a single period.
A documentary portrait of Phillipps
The Chills: The Triumph & Tragedy of Martin Phillipps, a 2019 documentary, chronicled Phillipps’ life and his struggles with hepatitis C, according to Pitchfork. It offers context on the musician’s life and work, but its account of his earlier health is separate from the 2024 announcement, which did not give a cause of death.
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Tributes to a songwriter
Neil Finn of Crowded House called Phillipps “one of NZ’s greatest songwriters” and said he had been “fascinated by and devoted to the magic and mystery of music,” according to the Los Angeles Times. Phillipps also spoke in 2019 about the upheaval that transformed the music business. As quoted by The Guardian, he said: “No one foresaw the impact of the digital revolution, of massive changes in music, with Nirvana, with hip-hop, and all sorts of things, that we could so quickly become redundant and old-fashioned.”
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